Video above: Children accused of affiliation with IS are being detained, and often tortured and prosecuted, regardless of their actual level of involvement with the group.
Iraqi and Kurdistan Regional Government authorities have charged children with terrorism for their alleged affiliation with IS – despite international laws that recognise children recruited by armed groups as victims, according to a new report from Human Rights Watch (HRW).
In the report titled , HRW details how Iraqi and KRG authorities often arrest and prosecute children with any perceived connection to IS and use torture to coerce confessions before they are sentenced to prison in hurried trials.
Once children are arrested, they are often tortured into confessing by security forces by beatings with plastic pipes, electric cables, or rods; electric shocks; and being forced into stress positions.
The report estimates there were 1,500 children held for alleged IS affiliation at the end of 2018. Of those, at least 185 foreign children have been convicted on terrorism charges and sentenced to prison according to Iraqi government authorities. The actions have been criticised by HRW who advocate that children involved in armed conflict be rehabilitated and reintegrated into society.
“Children accused of affiliation with IS are being detained, and often tortured and prosecuted, regardless of their actual level of involvement with the group,” said Jo Becker, children’s rights advocacy director for Human Rights Watch. “This sweeping, punitive approach is not justice, and will create lifelong negative consequences for many of these children.”
The Iraqi children who have been arrested for suspected IS involvement report they are afraid to return home for fear of revenge attacks, re-arrest and permanent separation from their family and community.
The screening process by Iraqi and KRG authorities was has been heavily criticised, with a 17-year-old believing he became a target after he worked in a restaurant that served IS members.
The legal process has also been heavily criticised by HRW, with claims judges ignored pleas from children that their confessions were coerced through torture. Trials in some cases lasted less than 10 minutes. And children were not informed of their right to access legal counsel.
“Iraq and the KRG’s harsh treatment of children looks more like blind vengeance than justice for IS crimes,” Becker said. “Children involved in armed conflicts are entitled to rehabilitation and reintegration, not torture and prison.”
