Turk arrived in Baghdad on Sunday for four-day visit to Iraq upon the invitation of the federal government. He met with Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, discussing several topics including the human rights impact of climate change.
“The human rights situation, the working environment and activities of civil society organizations, and freedom of the press and expression” in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region were discussed during Turk’s meeting President Barzani, according to a statement from the presidency.
President Barzani reiterated the Region’s commitment to protecting human rights and freedom of expression, while calling on UN institutions to provide more assistance and support to relevant authorities in Erbil and Baghdad on that front.
PM Barzani also met with the UN rights chief, discussing the Kurdish nation’s history of struggle under oppressive regimes and stressing the need for the international community’s support in ensuring an end to the violations of Kurdish people’s rights and preventing their recurrence.
Impact of climate change and promoting environmental awareness were also discussed during the meeting.
“We reiterated that protecting human rights and promoting peaceful coexistence between all components is an integral part of this cabinet's agenda,” read a statement from PM Barzani’s office.
Turk’s visit to Erbil was the first-ever visit by a UN human rights chief to the Kurdistan Region.
The human rights chief is scheduled to visit Basra as well, and is set to hold a news conference in Baghdad at the end of his trip on Wednesday evening.
An annual report by US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) in January slammed the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) for using “vaguely worded laws to target critics for expressing criticism and opinions they object to,” referring to the arrests of journalists and activists during antigovernment protests in the Kurdistan Region’s cities, mainly Sulaimani.
In response, the KRG hit back at HRW and said it was a “regional exemplar for essential democratic elements, including the right of freedom of expression and media.”
Metro Center for Journalists Rights and Advocacy, a local media watchdog, said in January that over 400 violations were committed against journalists and media outlets in the Kurdistan Region in 2022.
Iraq is among the countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, including water and food insecurity, according to the United Nations. It is facing a severe water shortage because of reduced precipitation, higher temperatures, and waste and mismanagement. The crisis is worsened by upstream dams in Turkey and Iran that have led to a significant decrease in the volume of water entering the country.
