UNOCT Enhances Human Rights in Counter-Terrorism Investigations in Iraq
麻豆传媒 Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), through its Programme Office in Baghdad and in cooperation with the Office of the National Security Advisor (ONSA) of Iraq, organized two impactful workshops from 21 to 24 December 2024.
The first workshop, held on 21-22 December, focused on equipping investigators from various security forces, including intelligence agencies from the Ninawa, Kirkuk, and Salah al-Din governorates, with the skills needed to conduct human rights-compliant counter-terrorism investigations. It also covered human rights norms, legal and factual challenges to implementing them, and explored ways to safeguard individual rights during the investigations of terrorist offenses. In addition, the workshop provided an overview of terrorism-related challenges and analyzed counter-terrorism practices in relation to Iraq’s legal framework. Moreover, it specifically addressed how human rights issues are viewed within the context of Iraq and the broader regional framework. Participants engaged in interactive sessions, discussing practical approaches to implementing human rights standards in their daily investigative work.
On 23-24 December, the second workshop targeting the Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights (IHCHR), aimed to strengthen the Commission’s capacity to address human rights issues within Iraq’s counter-terrorism efforts and support security forces in this area. Key topics discussed included the role of national human rights institutions in counter-terrorism, approaches to enhancing engagement in this area, gender-responsive strategies, and methods for collaborating with security entities to monitor detention facilities. The workshop also examined lessons learned and best practices for addressing human rights challenges in counter-terrorism.
These workshops marked the seventh and eighth events under the UNOCT-ONSA project "Human Rights and Counter-Terrorism: Capacity-building Support to Law Enforcement and Intelligence Services in Iraq", funded by the Government of Canada. The goal of this project is to strengthen Iraq’s law enforcement and intelligence services by integrating human rights norms into counter-terrorism work.
