UN calls Iraq to bring perpetrators of Khurmatu crimes to justice

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – UN expressed deep concerns about the situation in the multi-ethnic town of Tuz Khurmatu (Khurmatu) in southern Kirkuk Province, calling on Iraqi authorities to bring perpetrators to justice.

“We are seriously concerned about the situation in the city of Tuz Khurmatu, in Salah al-Din Governorate in Iraq, where on 9 and 12 December, residential areas were reportedly shelled, causing casualties among civilians,” spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Liz Throssell said recently in Geneva.

Following the Oct. 16 attack and takeover of Kirkuk Province and other disputed territories by Iraqi forces and Iranian-backed Shia Hashd al-Shaabi militias, over 180,000 people were displaced to the Kurdistan Region cities, “fearing repercussions, and to date, many have not returned,” Throssell added.

“UN human rights officers visited the area on 7 December and again on 14 December to investigate reports of the burning of homes and looting of businesses. They spoke to residents of Tuz Khurmatu in Kirkuk and Erbil who had fled the violence and also saw for themselves in Tuz Khurmatu some 150 premises that had been burned or otherwise damaged,” Throssell said.

“This follows reports that, on 16 and 17 October, a similar number of houses were looted and burned by Turkmen PMUs and civilians, and that up to 11 houses reportedly belonging to Kurdish families and officials were destroyed by explosives in the city.”

Kurdish officials in the area claim that thousands of houses, shops, buildings, and properties have been looted, burnt and destroyed since the Oct. 16 attack. The Kurdistan Region’s Prime Minister, Nechrivan Barzani, has repeatedly warned that the UN has not taken the Khurmatu situation seriously, and urged them to launched investigations.

The UN spokeswoman also mentioned that Iraqi forces and Shia militias, who are in control of Khurmatu’s security, did not necessarily reflect the town’s diverse makeup - Kurds, Turkmen, and Arab. “There is a serious risk that given the ethnic and religious fault lines in the area, violence could escalate and spread.”

“We urge the end of all acts that threaten the fundamental rights of the Tuz Khurmatu population. We also call on the Iraqi authorities to ensure that civilians there are protected, and those responsible for human rights abuses brought to justice,” Throssell concluded.

Editing by Nadia Riva