General situation

Cases
Location of case in SG report
2023-060-001
Country Geolocation

Latitude: 33.223191

Longitude: 43.679291

Country Geolocation (linked Cases)
Iraq
From Region
UN body that raised the case prior to the SG report
  • OHCHR: OHCHR Field office
  • UN Peace Operation / Political mission
Type of record
General situation addressed
Was the victim a foreign national?
No
Was the victim a minor?
No
Individual's/organization's activity

human rights defenders, activists, and journalists work on human rights, environmental defense or accountability.

Type of rights defended
  • Accountability & impunity
  • Corruption
  • Land rights/environment
  • Unclear in SG Report
Was the victim a civil servant or member of the security forces or of the judiciary?
No
Reported trigger of reprisal
  1. During the reporting period, the Human Rights Office of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) documented concerns by human rights defenders, activists, and journalists about online and offline threats against them, as well as attempted or successful hacking of their social media accounts by unidentified actors, in retaliation for their work on human rights, environmental defense or accountability. This situation has contributed to an atmosphere of distress among many activists, some of whom limited their collaboration with the United Nations human rights programme for fear of increased risks from or becoming the target of those unidentified actors, as some individuals affiliated with armed groups in the country have accused the international community of inappropriate interference in national matters. Individuals targeted by such threats repeatedly informed the Human Rights Office that they chose to engage in self-censorship and reduce participation in discussions or reporting, including with/to the United Nations on sensitive or controversial subjects, including corruption, accountability, or criticism of public figures or groups.
Engagement with UN body
  • OHCHR: OHCHR - General
  • OHCHR: OHCHR Field office
Type of attempted engagement
  • Meeting with UN officials during country visit / with locally present UN officials
  • Submission of information to UN
Location of mentioned reprisals
Iraq, online
Reprisal information
  1. During the reporting period, the Human Rights Office of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) documented concerns by human rights defenders, activists, and journalists about online and offline threats against them, as well as attempted or successful hacking of their social media accounts by unidentified actors, in retaliation for their work on human rights, environmental defense or accountability. This situation has contributed to an atmosphere of distress among many activists, some of whom limited their collaboration with the United Nations human rights programme for fear of increased risks from or becoming the target of those unidentified actors, as some individuals affiliated with armed groups in the country have accused the international community of inappropriate interference in national matters. Individuals targeted by such threats repeatedly informed the Human Rights Office that they chose to engage in self-censorship and reduce participation in discussions or reporting, including with/to the United Nations on sensitive or controversial subjects, including corruption, accountability, or criticism of public figures or groups.
Types of reprisals suffered
  • Online harassment
  • Surveillance
  • Threats/Intimidations (incl. "fear of reprisal")
Alleged/likely perpetrators
Non-state actor(s)
Was the reprisal based on new legislation?
No
Does the report make general comment about country’s environment for engagement with UN?
Yes
Is the country cited for a "pattern of reprisal" in the context of this case?
No
Is a pattern of reprisals mentioned otherwise in the context of this case?
No
Does the report cite "self-censorship" as an issue in the context of this case?
Yes