PM MALIKI: DON'T MAKE HUMAN RIGHTS A POLITICAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 001951 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/18/2019 TAGS: PHUM PGOV KJUS IZ SUBJECT: PM MALIKI: DON'T MAKE HUMAN RIGHTS A POLITICAL ISSUE REF: A. BAGHDAD 1699 ¶B. BAGHDAD 1546 Classified By: Deputy Political Counselor Steve Walker for Reason 1.4 ( d). ¶1. (C) Summary: Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki used the platform provided by a July 8 symposium on the role of human rights-focused NGOs, sponsored by the Cabinet, to denounce the politicization of human rights issues by critics of the GOI. He laid the blame squarely on the shoulders of the Saddam regime for instilling society with an ethics system that does not value human life. While he applauded NGOs for their work on human rights, he encouraged them to spend less time criticizing his administration for its handling of such issues as detainee rights and more time focused on assisting victims of insurgent attacks. He also pushed them to lend support to the Ministry of Human Rights and other ministries to increase the standard of living for all Iraqis. End summary. ¶2. (C) On July 8, Prime Minister Maliki was the keynote speaker at a Cabinet-sponsored symposium focusing on the role of Human Rights and NGOs within Iraq. Approximately 250-300 people attended, mostly from the NGO community. Other Iraqi participants included the Minister of Human Rights, the Secretary General of the Cabinet, and a few members of Parliament. -------------- PM Maliki's Views on NGOs in Iraq -------------- ¶3. (C) In his speech, the Prime Minister said that human rights are "natural" and derive from God and the Quran. He said the key to eradicating human rights violations is through education. If the standard of living for average Iraqis can be raised, there will be fewer abuses of human rights in society. The "NGO experiment," he noted, is a new development for Iraq and will take time to mature properly. Turning to the former regime, Maliki said the Ba,ath party left behind "many negative traits which are still prevalent within Iraqi society," including the use of torture, kidnappings and targeted killings. The "code of ethics" was repeatedly violated by the former regime in favor of Saddam,s personal interests and Iraqi citizens are still paying the price for this, he stated. ¶4. (C) Continuing, Maliki said that while it is important to focus on the condition of detainees, this issue should not be used for political purposes (ref A). (Comment: He was most likely referencing the Sadrists, claims of detainee abuse in parliament last month -- see ref B. End Comment.). He criticized the sympathy shown to detainees while the victims, the "widows and orphans and families of those who have been killed," receive little or no attention. NGOs should condemn insurgent groups rather than criticize the government for failing to take appropriate actions to combat human rights violations, he argued. The role of NGOs, he said, should not be to monitor the government but to bolster the work being done by the Ministry of Human Rights and others within the administration. (Note: Parliament recently approved a new national security law -- see septel. End Note) -------------- CoMSEC, MoHR, Others Speak -------------- ¶5. (C) The Secretary General of the Cabinet, Ali Al-Alaq, focused his speech on the importance of civil society in promoting human rights, democratic development, and civic progress in the new Iraqi state. He added that the Secretariat of the Cabinet provides support to Iraqi civil society organizations through the NGOs Assistance Office. The Minister of Human Rights, Wijdan Salim, also said a few words to the attendees, highlighting the role and Qwords to the attendees, highlighting the role and responsibilities of her Ministry. Other speakers included the Director of the Iraq Center for Media Development, the Romanian Ambassador to Iraq, and a representative from American University, a DRL grantee working on several human rights-related projects with the GOI. -------------- Human Rights Committee Left Out in the Cold -------------- ¶5. (C) In a meeting at Parliament immediately following the conclusion of the conference, members of the Human Rights Committee expressed their extreme displeasure over having not received an invitation to attend the conference. A number of MPs later appeared on Iraqi television and harshly criticized BAGHDAD 00001951 002 OF 002 the Minister of Human Rights for this oversight. (Note: Minister of Human Rights Salim told us July 10 that she was "not pleased" by the MPs' reaction to this perceived slight, noting that her ministry had very little to do with the conference and was only informed of it the day prior. The Embassy was also notified of the conference on July 7. End note.). -------------- Comment -------------- ¶6. (C) That the Cabinet would host a human rights-themed conference to raise awareness of government efforts and support the Ministry of Human Rights is an indication that the Prime Minister recognizes that human rights is a resonant public issue. His call for NGOs to condemn insurgent groups rather than criticize the GOI's human rights record highlights Maliki's continuing efforts to show himself as tough on security. We suspect this hastily organized conference had more to do with countering Sadrist MPs' allegations of human rights abuses by security forces than with galvanizing ameliorative NGO action. FORD