“Clear violations” were committed by a number of members of the Emergency Response Division, including “beatings and death threats,” contrary to orders issued, read a statement from the office of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Thursday.
The perpetrators will be prosecuted, the statement added.
The findings were the result of an investigation launched following media and human rights reports of Iraqi security forces abusing, torturing, and killing civilians during operations in Mosul. Abadi had set up a special committee to carry out the investigation, giving them full authority to investigate and refer individuals to the judiciary for legal action.
The investigatory committee also concluded that some allegations of killings that were reported on by Der Spiegel were “fabricated and inaccurate” as investigations discovered that some reportedly killed were found alive.
In May, Der Spiegel published graphic photos and testimony from photographer Ali Arkady who had been embedded with the Emergency Response Division. He documented allegations of torture, rape, and murder during the Mosul offensive.
