BASRAH HUMAN RIGHTS DIRECTOR ON OPERATION CHARGE OF THE

C O N F I D E N T I A L BASRAH 000039

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR DRL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 4/28/2018
TAGS: PHUM KDEM PBTS PGOV PREL PTER SOCI IR IZ
SUBJECT: BASRAH HUMAN RIGHTS DIRECTOR ON OPERATION CHARGE OF THE
KNIGHTS

CLASSIFIED BY: Howell H. Howard, Director, U.S. Regional Embassy
Office, Basrah, Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (a),(b),(d)




1. (C/REL MCFI) Regional Embassy Officers met with the head of
the Ministry of Human Rights' Basrah office, Mahdi al-Tamimi,
April 17 to discuss the humanitarian effects of the GOI's
Operation Charge of the Knights (CoK). Mahdi noted that before
CoK, Basrah was crime ridden, suffering a murder rate as high as
30 persons a day. CoK significantly lowered criminal activity,
but in the process the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) were
committing some errors: anyone injured was assumed to be a
militiaman and did not get proper attention at hospitals,
numerous individuals without militia ties were arrested, the
Iraqi Army (IA) stole personal property while searching some
areas and mistreated civilians at checkpoints, and he noted that
there were cases where it appeared the IA committed
extra-judicial killings.


2. (C/REL MCFI) On the up side, he noted that people were
treated very well by IA units with embedded U.S. advisors and
that Basrah Operations Commander, LTG Mohan Hafith al-Fariji,
issued a letter to ISF units that laid out the rules for humane
treatment based on Mahdi's recommendation. Mohan has also
posted the Iraqi Police (IP) at checkpoints alongside the IA,
because the IP are better at treatment of civilians. Mahdi also
commended the International Committee of the Red Cross for
helping to provide aid to families and medical supplies to
hospitals. Separately, Rear Admiral Winters told us April 26
that Minister of Justice Safa al-Safi has repeatedly emphasized
in planning meetings the need for the ISF to abide by human
rights standards.

AHVAZI DETAINEES
--------------

3. (C/REL MCFI) Mahdi told us that he was not able to locate the
six human rights activists from Ahvaz, Iran during a late March
visit to al-Mina prison. However, he did locate 18 other
Iranians in the prison. Some of the detainees claimed that
their families were killed by the Iranian regime and so they
fled to Iraq using Arab names for fear of expatriation. Some,
he said, were sentenced to five years for illegally crossing the
border, but for the time being were "happy to be in jail." They
requested that the Ministry of Human Rights (MOHR) and the UN
review their cases. Mahdi collected their names, passing the
list to MOHR and advised the local chief justice to observe
their cases for improper treatment. Mahdi also suggested
transferring them to Kurdistan where they would be better
protected and might even claim asylum.

PRIORITIES
--------------

4. (C/REL MCFI) Mahdi told us his immediate priority was to
visit neighborhoods to conduct battle damage assessments for
compensation claims against the GOI. Additionally, he is
focused on visiting ISF leaders to cooperate quickly to
investigate complaints. The REO is working to facilitate a
meeting between Mahdi and the human rights advisors in the ISF.
Finally, he wants to provide more assistance to the 200-300
active human rights NGOs in Basrah. Funding is the primary
inhibitor for their activity, he said. Mahdi hopes to organize
an NGO conference in the near future.

HHOWARD