Ceasfire International har ett pågående projekt, som Postkodlotteriets Stiftelse stöttar. Projektet ska skydda civilas mänskliga rättigheter och säkra ansvarsutkrävande för kränkningar i Irak. Detta genom att dokumentera kränkningarna och hjälpa personer att söka ersättning för dem, samt verka för att stärka lagar och regler kring mänskliga rättigheter.
Vi fick möjlighet att intervjua Rami Al Maarawi, MENA programkoordinator på Ceasefire, som berättade mer om det pågående projektet. Läs intervjun här.
Securing accountability and reparations for civilian victims harmed in conflict and post-conflict zones is central to Ceasefire’s mission and strategy.
Civilians are often recognised as the principal victims of war but are rarely acknowledged as rights-holders. Ceasefire seeks to change this by promoting access to mechanisms and remedies to ensure that civilians’ rights are upheld and no longer denied.
Iraq, in particular, has experienced extensive conflict over many decades, from Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship and Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait to the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, the sectarian crisis, and, most recently, the conflict with ISIS. Millions of civilians have suffered gross human rights violations and serious breaches of humanitarian law, giving them the right to adequate, prompt, and effective redress for the harm inflicted on them.
To address the legacy of conflict, uphold justice, and promote stability, Iraq has introduced several laws aimed at redressing civilian harms. These include Law 20 on Compensation for Victims of Military Operations, Military Mistakes, and Terrorist Actions, which provides redress for violations since 2003, and the Yazidi Survivors Law of 2021, which offers reparations for sexual violence committed by ISIS against minorities. Ceasefire played an active role in advocating for the Yazidi Survivors Law in collaboration with its local network of Iraqi human rights organisations.
Despite the rollout of these two reparation programmes, Iraqi civilians face significant challenges in accessing reparations. These include unclear procedures, administrative barriers, legal costs, displacement, and ongoing security concerns. Iraqis who have lodged complaints or protests against the government have faced further violations, repressing their freedom of speech.
To help civilians navigate these challenges and the complex process of submitting reparation claims, Ceasefire established a legal help desk. This initiative provides pro bono legal support to Iraqi civilians, assisting with eligibility assessments, preparing claims, compiling supporting documents, and representing claimants in court when necessary, among other follow-up services.
These efforts are vital for civilian victims, offering a transformative experience that empowers and dignifies them while restoring their voice. This work is a critical step toward achieving transitional justice and long-term stability in Iraq.
The primary aim of the project is to defend the rights of civilians and secure civil accountability for human rights violations in Iraq, a nation that has endured decades of conflict. By promoting democracy and human rights, the project aligns with the Swedish Postcode Lottery Foundation’s priorities of strengthening the rule of law, fostering accountability for human rights violations, and bridging societal divisions and polarisation.
To achieve these goals, the project focuses on enhancing the capacity of civilian activists and CSOs on national reparation schemes, empowering civilian victims of conflict to submit credible claims for reparations under national programmes, and advocating for new regulations in Iraq to implement international obligations and reinforce human rights protections.
Specific activities include documenting 500 incidents of violations through Ceasefire’s secure online reporting platform, launching a social media campaign to promote access to reparations, and delivering a two-day capacity-building training for 22 Iraqi lawyers and activists. Additionally, the project seeks to assist 350 civilians in submitting reparations claims, produce policy briefs for Iraqi parliamentarians and officials and engage with them to advocate for civilian protection.
Our field team, made up of local legal experts in processing reparation claims, continues to navigate several challenges, including:
Since the project’s commencement, our team has provided advice to hundreds of Iraqi civilians who may be eligible claimants. Our social media campaign on Facebook, launched as part of this project to raise awareness of their rights to seek reparations, has reached over 165,000 Iraqis across various provinces. The campaign has significantly increased the demand for consultations and support from our team.
Despite the challenges mentioned earlier, our team has successfully supported over 150 claims since the project’s launch and more than 800 claims since the office was established in late 2021. To date, over 75 claims have been approved during the project, bringing the total number of approved claims to more than 215 since late 2021.
Furthermore, Ceasefire also trained a diverse and gender-balanced group of 22 Iraqi CSO members, lawyers, and human rights activists from various ethnic and religious backgrounds on Iraqi reparation schemes, equipping them with the necessary knowledge and skills to assist civilians in securing redress.
Ceasefire’s field team has also published a new research paper in Arabic, outlining recommendations for reforms to enhance the Iraqi reparation law and its procedures. This paper draws on the Ceasefire Legal Helpdesk’s extensive experience in assisting thousands of civilians in Mosul. The strategic document was shared with Iraqi officials, whom our team met on several occasions to discuss recommendations aimed at streamlining the reparation process.
To conclude with a final thought on reparations work in Iraq, Ceasefire believes that organisations working to ensure reparations for victims of human rights violations must prioritise a victim-centred approach, foster inclusivity, and advocate for legal and procedural reforms. Strengthening partnerships with local communities, engaging constructively with Iraqi government, empowering grassroots initiatives through knowledge sharing, and ensuring sustained advocacy are crucial for creating meaningful and lasting change for civilians harmed by the conflict.
Answers by: Rami Al Maarawi, MENA Programmes Coordinator at Ceasefire.
Photo by: Mark Lattimer, Ceasefire.
Postkodlotteriets Stiftelse arbetar brett inom en rad olika sektorer. Varje
– Ceasefire believes that organisations working to ensure reparations for
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