‘Collective punishment & war crimes’: Human Rights Watch condemns forced relocation of ISIS families in Iraq

‘Forced relocations of alleged Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) terrorists’ families to a “rehabilitation camp” in Iraq are an act of collective punishment, Human Rights Watch has stated. RT spoke to an HRW member who visited the camp.
In a report published Thursday, HRW said that at least 170 families of suspected ISIS fighters, mainly women and children, were relocated against their will to a closed “rehabilitation camp” in Bartalla, 14 kilometers east of Mosul, Iraq, recently retaken from terrorists.
The organization considers the relocations “abusive acts” amounting to “war crimes.”
The Middle East director at HRW, Lama Fakih, called on Iraqi authorities to stop abusive actions against entire families, noting that such abuses impede reconciliation in the liberated areas.
“Iraqi authorities shouldn’t punish entire families because of their relatives’ actions,” Fakih said.’
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