With their legacy of occupation, conflict and dictatorship, Iraq's institutions are now unable to prevent abuse of power or hold perpetrators of serious human rights violations to account. Given the likelihood of a further deterioration in the situation, an increase in human rights violations, already generalised, is likely. Sustained efforts should therefore be made by the international community to record violations, seek identification of perpetrators and bring them to justice.

In the context of this UPR, Alkarama suggests that States focus on the reinforcement of the balance of powers, especially the independence of the judiciary, in their recommendations to the Iraqi authorities. The flaws within the judicial system are of particular concern, as the number of executions following unfair trials has risen exponentially over the past years. An immediate moratorium on the implementation of death sentences should therefore be a priority recommendation during the UPR.

The shrinking space for civil society, media and political participation is also of major concern. We recommend, amongst others, that States call for investigations into all incidents where the dispersing of protests, for example, have lead to the loss of life as well as to cases where journalists were killed in the open.

We refer to Alkarama's stakeholder submission for further information on the human rights situation in Iraq and suggestions for recommendations.