Iraqi authorities in the province of Nineveh are harassing, threatening and arresting aid workers as well as undermining their work, laying false terrorism charges against them, Human Rights Watch (HRW) claimed in a report on Monday.
In some cases, the local authorities pressure organizations to stop providing services to families they say have ties to ISIS, revealed the report.
“As if their working conditions aren’t difficult enough, aid workers in Mosul and other parts of Nineveh have faced baseless charges of ISIS affiliation, and have even been arrested,” said Lama Fakih, deputy Middle East director at HRW.
“Charges of ISIS affiliation appear to be thinly veiled attempts to get some organizations to divert aid to corrupt local authorities or to stop giving assistance to some needy families accused of having relatives in ISIS,” Fakih continued.
She added: “Unless there is a robust response to abuses of aid workers and attempts to undermine aid operations, it is going to become even harder and more dangerous for them to help Iraqis who need their assistance, including families with perceived ISIS affiliation.”
HRW spoke with two people who have been tracking harassment of and physical assaults on aid workers by government officials. The sources said that since January 2018, they had documented at least 22 incidents in Nineveh, ranging from intimidation and arrests to assault, robbery, and live fire incidents.
Member of Iraqi Institution for Development Ayad Salih told Asharq Al-Awsat that the information in the HRW report is true and that the humanitarian and aid organizations often face challenges and harassment by local authorities during their work in the province.
However, activist Zaid al-Tai deemed the report as exaggerated and inaccurate, but he admitted that some organizations are being extorted by powerful parties.
