UN dismayed at execution of 36 people convicted for Camp Speicher massacre in Iraq
Representational photo.
(IraqiNews.com) Baghdad – The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, has expressed deep dismay at the execution of 36 people in Iraq in relation to a 2014 massacre during which hundreds of military cadets were killed.
OHCHR spokesperson Cécile Pouilly said at a regular briefing in Geneva, “The High Commissioner urged the authorities to ensure that any trials conducted in connection with the massacre respected due process and international fair trial rather than be fueled by vengeance,” adding that, “Unfortunately, this was not the case.”
In June 2014, ISIS attacked the Camp Speicher military base and killed 1,700 cadets. In the aftermath of the killings, the UN human rights had expressed that the brutality of the Camp Speicher massacre was exceptional and that it was important to respond to the plight of the survivors and families of the victims.
The OHCHR spokesperson said that the executions that were carried out on Sunday, were particularly worrying given serious due process concerns and fair trial shortcomings.
“The individuals who have been executed were convicted only on the basis of information provided by secret informants or by confessions allegedly extracted under torture,” Pouilly added.