RE: UN accuses Iraq of withholding civilian death figures
From: The Man Common
Date: Apr 27, 2007 10:46 AM
UN accuses Iraq of withholding civilian death figures
BAGHDAD -- UN officials accused Iraq yesterday of withholding civilian death figures to try to deflect attention from escalating violence and a worsening humanitarian crisis despite the US-led Baghdad security crackdown.
Those conclusions by the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq drew a sharp rebuke from the Iraq's political leadership, which called the report "unbalanced" and said it raised questions about the credibility of the UN staff in Iraq.
The clashing views over the document -- which covered three months ending March 31 -- reflect a wider debate that goes beyond attempts to tally the bloodshed: whether the Baghdad security operation has made any lasting progress since the crackdown was launched in mid-February.
While some measures suggest the capital is less violent -- such as apparent Shi'ite death squad killings reportedly on the decline -- bombings blamed on Sunni insurgents have continued with deadly frequency.
"Armed groups from all sides continued to target the civilian population," said the 30-page report.
The report avoided any judgment of the military effectiveness of the drive to regain control of Baghdad.
But it took issue with tactics used against Iraqi civilians in the city -- alleging, for example, that whole families were often taken into custody at random during security sweeps.
"The government of Iraq continued to face immense security challenges in the face of growing violence and armed opposition to its authority and the rapidly worsening humanitarian crisis," the report said.
It added that "the use of torture and other inhumane treatment" in government detention centers "continues to be of utmost concern." The report did not give specific locations, however.
In the report, the UN mission noted that government officials had claimed "an initial drop" in the number of killings in late February following the launch of the Baghdad security plan. But the report said the number of casualties "rose again in March."
That finding was based on Iraqi and foreign media reports of attacks, the UN said.
The report was unable to provide official, comprehensive death figures because the Iraqi government refused to release them.
During a press conference, UN human rights officer Ivana Vuco said the government did not give an official reason for refusing to release the numbers. But she said the government was apparently "becoming increasingly concerned about the figures being used to portray the situation as very grim."
"Unofficially, however, in a number of follow-up meetings to their decision, we were told that there were concerns that the people would construe the figures to portray the situation negatively and that would further undermine their efforts to establish some kind of security and stability in the country," she said.
In a statement, the Iraqi government expressed deep reservations about the report, terming it "inaccurate in presenting information" and lacking "credibility in many of its points."
"The publication of this unbalanced report . . . puts the credibility of the UN office in Iraq at stake and it aggravates the humanitarian crisis in Iraq instead of solving it," the government said.
The statement offered no explanation for withholding casualty figures, and did not provide any numbers.
But government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told the Associated Press that the system for tabulating casualty figures "is not easy" because "in the recent period, the number of casualties increased."
posted by Gandolfo at 4/27/2007
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