Watchdog Condemns Iraqi Military's Questioning Of Refugees In Camp Near Mosul

A prominent human rights watchdog decried on Thursday the thousands of screenings being done by the Iraqi authorities at a refugee camp near Mosul

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th July, 2019) A prominent human rights watchdog decried on Thursday the thousands of screenings being done by the Iraqi authorities at a refugee camp near Mosul.

On July 6, multiple military and law enforcement agencies, including Iraq's military intelligence, arrived at Hammam al-Alil 1 camp, located just south of Mosul, in order to question refugees to find out if their relatives were affiliated with the Islamic State terrorist group (IS, banned in Russia).

"While Iraqi police forces should be taking reasonable actions to improve security for everyone, the military should not be occupying schools or even entering camps for the displaced. No one should become a criminal suspect just because of their relatives," Lama Fakih, the acting middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said.

Since the beginning of the IS onslaught in Iraq in 2014, many people have died, disappeared or been displaced. Due to poor record keeping, it is impossible to ascertain who is who, which makes it easy to conduct illicit activities in the country, including refugee camps. However, according to Human Rights Watch, the governmental forces perform their information gathering duties using highly questionable methods, which allegedly include carrying weapons in refugee camps, using schools as bases of operations, unlawful detentions and soliciting sexual favors.