A/HRC/28/18 I. Introduction A. Context 1. Iraq has endured decades of authoritarianism, followed by a difficult transition that was marked by an international presence, unrest and continuous violence, resulting in thousands of civilian casualties. Despite positive steps towards building a constitutional republic, this period has witnessed a wide range of human rights violations. They include enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention, reprisal killings, shortcomings in fair trial and due process standards, lack of accountability and failure to deliver many basic services. Since 2003, thousands of suicide attacks, carried out by terrorist groups, have killed thousands of civilians. 2. The so-called Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) 1 surfaced in this unstable and violent environment. A lack of inclusive participatory processes and a failure to promote and protect political, civil, economic, social and cultural rights amidst regional turmoil paved the way for ISIL and other radical groups to advance into northern Iraq, exploiting the frustration of local tribes and, shortly after, cracking down on many with the utmost brutality and cruelty. 3. In April 2013, the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) used force to end a demonstration in the town of Hawija in Kirkuk governorate and a number of demonstrators died. Rallies and sit-ins followed in the provinces of Anbar, Ninewa, Salah ad-Din and Diyala. The Government’s crackdown on these protests exacerbated a sense of exclusion among the sizeable Sunni population. 4. In January 2014, the city of Fallujah in Anbar province fell into the hands of ISIL. In April, Anbar was a battleground. By May, 500,000 civilians had been internally displaced. While ISF scored some victories against ISIL in Anbar, the latter stormed the cities of Mosul and Tikrit in a blitz offensive in June, taking control of large swathes of the northern provinces. ISIL carried out massacres at Badush prison and Camp Speicher and besieged the town of Amerli in Diyala province. 5. In August 2014, ISIL seized the districts of Sinjar, Tel Afar and the Ninewa Plains. Allegations began to surface of serious human rights abuses perpetrated by ISIL and associated armed groups, including the intentional and systematic targeting of members of ethnic and religious communities in areas seized. This led to a mass exodus of Yezidis, Christians and members of other ethnic and religious groups from the Ninewa Plains. Operations in Mosul and Sinjar triggered the displacement of a further 1.5 million people. By the time Mosul fell to ISIL, ISF were in disarray. The Government of Iraq turned to other armed actors, alongside ISF, to halt ISIL advances and reverse its territorial gains. Many young Iraqis volunteered to fight ISIL as part of the “Popular Mobilization Movement”.2 1 2 ISIL is on the Al-Qaida Sanctions List established pursuant to Security Council resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011), which impose financial sanctions, an arms embargo and a travel ban on the members of the groups on the list. The Popular Mobilization Movement was established following the seizure of territories by ISIL in June 2014 when Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called on volunteers to defend their homeland. On 30 September 2014, the Cabinet passed a resolution calling on Prime Minister al-Abadi to ensure the provision of the Movement with weapons, logistics, training and salaries. 3