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AI INDEX: MDE 14/157/2003 23 July 2003 Iraq http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGMDE141572003 Memorandum on concerns relating to law and order I. INTRODUCTION This memorandum outlines a number of concerns and recommendations relating to law and order legislation and practices by the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) and the Coalition Forces in Iraq. It highlights issues relating to the overall legal framework; addresses in some detail concerns relating to the use of force, detention practices, treatment in custody, searches and the role of the judiciary; and outlines concerns relating to the need for ensuring accountability of the CPA and the Coalition Forces. The memorandum also includes a number of cases illustrating the nature of Amnesty International's concerns. As part of its recommendations, Amnesty International calls on the CPA to carry out competent, independent and impartial investigations into these individual cases. Amnesty International delegates have been present in Iraq since 24 April 2003, monitoring human rights issues, specifically in the areas of policing and detention. Places visited have included Baghdad, Ramadi, Fallujah, Basra, Amara, Najaf and Nassiriya, as well as Irbil, Kirkuk and Mosul. In the course of their work, Amnesty International delegates have interviewed victims of crime, former detainees and their families, lawyers, judges, police officers, as well as officials in the CPA and members of United States (US) and United Kingdom (UK) military forces. Amnesty International remains deeply concerned by the lack of law and order prevailing in many areas of Iraq. Many Iraqis have repeatedly expressed to Amnesty International delegates their sense of fear and insecurity. In the document, Iraq: The need for security (AI Index: MDE 14/143/2003) issued earlier this month, Amnesty International outlined concerns about the law and order situation in Basra, including the impact on the lives of ordinary Iraqis of looting, revenge killings, kidnappings and other violent crime. This memorandum highlights continuing concerns in Baghdad and other parts of Iraq. Amnesty International calls on the CPA and the Coalition Forces to take urgent steps to fully restore law and order in all parts of Iraq. Full report at: http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGMDE141572003 _______________________________________________ Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk