UN SRSG in UNAMI Breifing before UNSC: Impunity erodes trust in state

UNAMI SRSG said in the briefing she presented before the UN Security Council, "The elections were a central demand of the protest movement; and yet, many of its members continue to be persecuted with rampant impunity."

"Continued impunity for serious crimes & human rights violations -such as targeted killings, abductions & intimidation -can only embolden perpetrators, further eroding trust in the State & raising serious concerns ahead of the October elections."

She reiterated her call "to all Iraqi stakeholders to uphold the integrity of the electoral process. Political pressure and interference, intimidation, and illicit financial flows are all most harmful to the credibility of elections," stressing, "Candidates, campaigners, the media and voters must be free to exercise their democratic rights before, during and after the election."

"The United Nations fully understands and supports the goal of the Iraqi authorities to end displacement. The focus must be on solving displacement rather than closing camps,"UN SRSG stated. 

"The all-important Baghdad-Erbil relationship urgently requires sustained, strategic dialogue as well as clear implementation mechanisms," she said.