Human Rights Watch says that security forces in Iraqi Kurdistan have been "torturing children" to force them to confess to having links to Islamic State militants.
The U.S.-based group said in a report released on January 8 that it had interviewed 23 teenage boys who had been charged with, or convicted of, belonging to Islamic State.
The group said that 16 of them said they had been tortured during questioning. Some said they were beaten with electric cables, plastic pipes, or rods; others said they were subjected to electric shocks.
"Most said they had no access to a lawyer and they were not allowed to read the confessions [security forces] wrote and forced them to sign," the report said.
It said the punishment inflicted by security forces of the Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq took place in 2017 and 2018 despite promises by authorities to investigate the torture claims.
Dindar Zebari, an adviser to the Kurdish government in northern Iraq, denied the allegations, in comments made to the AFP news agency.
"No one can be arrested unless the judiciary authorizes it. And any person who has been arrested is treated in accordance with the law," he said.
The Kurdish government rejects the use of torture, he said.
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.
Editors' Picks
Top Trending
1
Exclusive: The TikTok Trail Of The U.S. Soldier Arrested In Russia Left By His Russian 'Wife'
2Kazakh Billionaire Buys English Soccer Club
32 U.S. Citizens, Including Soldier, Join List Of Americans Being Held In Russia
4Russia Claims Control Over Eastern Ukrainian Town, As Rocket Strikes Kill 3
5Kazakh Ex-Minister Insists In Court He Had No Intention To Kill Wife
6North Macedonia Ruling Party Concedes As Opposition Wins Dual Votes
7Chinese-Made Surveillance Cameras Are Spreading Across Eastern Europe, Despite Security Concerns
8All 5 Central Asian Leaders To Attend Victory Day Parade In Moscow
9What Is Behind Serbia And China's 'Ironclad Friendship'?
10Putin Inaugurated In Ceremony Marked By Western Boycott
Subscribe