UNAMI’s Human Rights Office held a roundtable with the Iraqi Ministry of Interior in Kirkuk on the due process rights of defendants under Iraqi and international law.

Thirteen Ministry of Interior officers, including eleven males and two females, attended the roundtable, which focused on the Iraqi and international human rights law framework protecting the right to legal counsel, the right to remain silent and the right to prepare an adequate defence.

The roundtable also covered the legal framework governing legitimate arrests and investigations as well as the prohibition of torture. UNAMI Human Rights Officers discussed the Iraqi Criminal Procedure Code, the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights, the Convention against Torture and the International Convention for Protection from Enforced Disappearance. The roundtable also touched on strengthening the administration of justice by combating corruption.

Source: United Nations Iraq