ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Office of the Coordinator for International Advocacy (OCIA) on Thursday responded to a recent United Nations report which slammed the Kurdish government for doubtful trials, raising human rights concerns. “[We] don't think it accurately portrays the situation in Kurdistan,” said the office. The United Nations Assistance Mission to Iraq (UNAMI) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Wednesday released a report highlighting human rights concerns over a number of trials in the Kurdistan Region, while noting "concrete steps" that have been taken in recent months by the Kurdish authorities "toward the protection of the right to freedom of expression." The report was based on observation of trial hearings in the four cases and private detention interviews with individuals concerned in the cases, along with interviews with “judges, defense lawyers, prosecutors, detention authorities and other relevant interlocutors, such as civil society activists and families of detainees.” The OCIA said in a statement on Thursday that they have studied the UN report, adding that “while we don't think it accurately portrays the situation in Kurdistan, we appreciate the UN's commitment to discussion.” “There are always improvements to be made, and the KRG is committed to making improvements where they are needed. To take this work forward, KRG has invited the OHCHR, UNAMI and international organizations to support the KRG in improving institutional processes in Kurdistan. And the KRG has been holding consultations with advocacy groups to address concerns regarding media freedoms and rights. The government is also working with the foreign representations and international counterparts to further train local judges,” he added. “The UNAMI/OHCHR report's recommendations are taken into consideration by us. We will examine them thoroughly and work with our counterparts and partners to put everlasting remedies into action. In the Kurdistan Region, we will continue to safeguard and expand media freedoms,” continued the statement by the OCIA. Both UN bodies welcomed the long-standing partnership with the Region claiming it has taken "concrete steps toward the protection of the right to freedom of expression in recent months." "OHCHR/UNAMI notes the repeated expressed commitment by the Kurdistan Regional Government to the rule of law, judicial independence and human rights, as stated by the President and Prime Minister of the KRI, and acknowledges progress made in 2021, including enhanced cooperation and coordination," the report read. Annexed in the report was a response from the KRG claiming that “under no circumstances, civilians in the Kurdistan Region have been arrested or detained arbitrarily.” The Wednesday report came more than a month after an Erbil court handed jail sentences to four Duhok detainees who were among dozens arrested during anti-government protests last year. The four were among dozens of people arrested during anti-government protests over unpaid wages in Duhok last year. Their first court hearing in July was attended by a United Nations representative and diplomats. The KRG has come under fire locally and internationally for the prosecutions.
