Kurdistan criticizes HRW for ‘being an IS lawyer'

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Monday responded to the Human Rights Watch (HRW), criticizing the organization for ignoring the Islamic State’s (IS) inhumane crimes and making unrealistic claims against the Region.

The HRW released a report on Nov. 13 titled “Iraqi Kurdistan: Arab homes destroyed after ISIS battles,” claiming the KRG’s security forces had unlawfully destroyed large numbers of Arab homes, and sometimes entire villages, in areas retaken from IS.

According to the report, the destruction of homes occurred between September 2014 and May 2016 in the disputed areas of Kirkuk and Nineveh governorates, areas the KRG controls.

The Committee to Evaluate and Respond to International Reports replied to the organization in a lengthy statement, explaining that “unfortunately” the biased report consists of wrong, unrealistic interpretations.

The Committee explained if the policy of the KRG was against Arab people, the Region wouldn’t accommodate 1.5 million refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

“With such type of report, the HRW cannot become a lawyer for [IS] and prepare the ground for veiling the crimes of the people who had helped [IS],” the statement read.

“Those people have committed inhumane crimes, kidnapped [Ezidi] women,” the KRG response added.

“It has been our policy in the past, now, and will be for the future that whoever is with [IS] will have the same fate as [IS],” the statement continued.

Moreover, the Committee called on the HRW to name any civilian intentionally killed by Peshmerga forces, and they would be ready to take legal measures against the soldiers.

The statement mentioned neither Peshmerga nor the international coalition warplanes had targeted any civilian location in the past two years of fighting against IS in northern Iraq.

“Those areas that have been targeted had no civilian’s there, but [IS] terrorist military camps,” the KRG report revealed.

The Committee advised the HRW to talk to the Arab people whose areas had been liberated by Peshmerga forces to understand the treatment of Kurdish forces with them.

The HRW and Amnesty International often criticize Peshmerga forces for committing violations by destroying Arab houses and preventing the people from returning to their areas, but the KRG continues to deny the allegations.

In June 2014, following the emergence of IS in Mosul, several thousand people fled to the Kurdistan Region.

The number continuously increases as the military operation by Peshmerga and Iraqi security forces to liberate Mosul from the extremist group has already begun.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany