AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

Public Statement

AI Index: IOR 41/007/2003 (Public)

News Service No: 068

26 March 2003

UN Commission on Human Rights: Iraq

Open Statement by Amnesty International to the 59th Session of the UN Commission on Human Rights

Amnesty International welcomes the request to the 59th session of the UN Commission on Human Rights by a group of member states to hold a Special Sitting on Iraq.

Amnesty International looks to the Commission, as the UN’s principal body responsible for the promotion and protection of human rights, to seize the opportunity of a Special Sitting to urgently address the impact of war on the human rights and humanitarian situation in Iraq. In particular, the organization urges the Commission to:

Call on all parties to the conflict to fully adhere to international humanitarian law, particularly as it relates to the protection of civilians and prisoners of war;

Urge all parties to seek the services of the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission, as established under Article 90 of Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions, to investigate alleged violations of international humanitarian law;

Call on all parties to the conflict and all other relevant countries to ensure the effective protection of refugees and the internally displaced;

Ensure that preparations begin immediately for the deployment of an effective UN human rights monitoring presence throughout Iraq as soon as the security situation permits; and to

Ensure that any post-conflict reconstruction program is informed by a human rights agenda which addresses comprehensively human rights concerns in the country, including the need to ensure justice.

Public Document

****************************************

For more information please call Amnesty International's press office in London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566

Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW. web: http://www.amnesty.org

For latest human rights news view http://news.amnesty.org