Suspected ISIS Ties? Some Aid Workers May be Shying Away
Hundreds of thousands of civilians in Iraq have suffered horribly at the hands of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS. Now the families of those suspected to have joined the extremist group are paying a price as Iraqi forces continue to retake territory. Across federal Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, security forces are holding families of […]Belkis Wille writes for Human Rights Watch:
Hundreds of thousands of civilians in Iraq have suffered horribly at the hands of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS. Now the families of those suspected to have joined the extremist group are paying a price as Iraqi forces continue to retake territory.
Across federal Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, security forces are holding families of ISIS affiliates, often referred to by local authorities and communities as “ISIS families,” displaced by the fighting, and severely restricting their movements.
To be clear, anyone displaced by fighting that is not accused of a crime has the right to return home if there are no longer military operations there, and under Iraqi law, to be compensated for property destroyed by the conflict. They also have the right to move freely throughout the country and resettle elsewhere if they prefer. Authorities can’t lawfully use camps for displaced people as open-air prisons.
