Alannah Travers

Guest post by Alannah Travers and Sana Murrani. Previously based in Iraq where she worked with displaced communities and Genocide survivors, Alannah is currently completing an LLM in Human Rights, Conflict and Justice, at SOAS University, focused on IHL and the use of force, Islamic Law, prohibition of torture, and International Human Rights protection.

Book Review: Dr Lily Hamourtziadou's Body Count is both a work of immense scholarly value, and a tribute to the individuals who have suffered and continue to suffer as a result of conflict in Iraq. https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/body-count

The closure of UNITAD on 17 September 2024 represents a turning point in efforts to achieve justice for the atrocities committed by ISIL. The article argues for the necessity of comprehensive legal reforms and a survivor-centered approach to justice.

A mapping of international law on the right to humanitarian assistance, focused on: International Humanitarian Law (IHL), International Criminal Law, International Human Rights Law - and the legal discourse around humanitarian assistance.

An essential part of usul-al-fiqh (Islamic legal theory) - the classifications of Qur'anic verses! These classifications have shaped how scholars understand which verses are clear and decisive, which ones might be allegorical with different layers of understanding, and which were revealed over time to provide practical guidance. Understanding the classifications of Qur'anic verses is essential because they directly impact the application of Islamic law, moral guidelines, and community practices.

مركُز البيان للدراسات والتخطيط مركز مستقلٌّ، غيرُ ربح ٍّي، مقُّره الرئيس في بغداد، مهمته الرئيسة -فضلاً عن قضايا أخرى- تقديم وجهة نظر ذات مصداقية حول قضايا السياسات العامة والخارجية التي تخّصالعراقبنحوخاٍص،ومنطقةالشرقالأوسطبنحوعام.ويسعىالمركزإلىإجراءتحليٍلمستقٍّل، وإيجاد حلول عمليَّة جليَّة لقضايا معقدة تهُّم الحقلْي السياسي والأكاديمي.

ألانا ترافرز: صحفية ومستشارة بريطانية-ألمانية مقيمة في العراق بين عامي 2021 و2023.

On 11th December, Dr Inna Rudolf, Mirza Dinnayi, Sarah Sanbar and myself will be speaking at King's College London on the situation for the Yazidi community (and other minorities). I will cover the UNITAD mess more candidly, as well as the struggles with and among NGOs working on justice and accountability issues in Iraq. Also online!

Important Amnesty investigation into how Iraqis are being subjected to torture and other ill-treatment as well as enforced disappearance after being arrested in the Jeddah Rehabilitation Centre in northern Iraq (run by the MoMD with the support of several other Iraqi ministries, the UN – including IOM, UNICEF, UNHCR, UNFPA, WHO and WFP – and others), also touching on the false accusations and wrongful arrests that Iraqis already know are all too common, and tearing families apart still.

The symposium will showcase the findings of Dr Sana Murrani's latest project on Yazidi displacement, fostering collaborative discussions among academics and practitioners to improve policymaking concerning displacement and settlement in Iraq, as well as migration in the UK for Yazidis.

As the mandate of UNITAD—the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh/ISIL—draws to a close on September 17, two competing narratives are almost certain to emerge. In an effort to explain the lack of prosecutions resulting from UNITAD’s work—just nine prosecutions for crimes against humanity and genocide have resulted from this data collection, mostly in Germany but also earlier this year in Portugal—proponents of UNITAD will likely cast the Iraq state as the primary obstacle in achieving justice, blaming Iraqi authorities for failing to meet international standards and the Government of Iraq for requesting the end of UNITAD’s mandate from the UN Security Council (UNSC) last year. In Baghdad, officials will continue to criticize UNITAD for withholding critical evidence and failing to collaborate effectively with Iraqi authorities, as was explicitly outlined in the original UNITAD mandate. The reality will lie somewhere between the country’s remaining displacement camps, informal settlements, and shattered lives.

مع انتهاء تفويض بعثة "يونيتاد"، أي "فريق التحقيق التابع للأمم المتحدة لتعزيز المساءلة عن الجرائم المرتكبة من جانب تنظيم "داعش"، يجب على جميع الأطراف المعنية تقييم القيود التي واجهتها المنظمة فيما يتعلق بما تمكنت من تحقيقه لضحايا جرائم "داعش، بعد سبع سنوات.

The Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights and the Coalition for Just Reparations (C4JR) have jointly submitted a report to the 4th Cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). The report addresses Iraq’s efforts to deliver justice and reparations to survivors of the ISIL conflict.

This submission was prepared for the fourth cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Iraq.

"As well as structural reasons preventing the return of many Yezidi children from Syria, such as lack of identity papers or official registration, it is important to acknowledge that many Yezidis still do not embrace the return of these children born out of rape, and often argue that all accused IS fighters should be executed, even if the evidence of their crimes is questionable or the result of torture in the context of Iraq's highly problematic judicial system. Expert interview with Alannah Travers, 20 March 2024."

Ten years after ISIS committed atrocities against the Yazidi community and other minorities in the country, survivors' needs remain largely unmet.

Our joint report featuring 10 demands of survivors, a decade after the genocide. By the Coalition for Justice Reparations (C4JR) with the Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights, SEED Foundation, and Yazda.

Sinjar, Iraq – To commemorate the tenth anniversary of the genocide committed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIL) against minorities including the Yazidi, Christian, Shabak, Turkmen and other communities in Iraq, the Coalition for Just Reparations (C4JR) along with the Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights, SEED Foundation, and Yazda, publishes our joint report featuring 10 demands of survivors, a decade after the genocide.

"While financial assistance was stated to be available to these families, many families never received this." [Travers and al-Khatib]

“If implemented strategically, the Amnesty Law could also serve as a crucial step toward national reconciliation. By addressing past and present grievances, the legislation could help mend the social fabric torn by years of conflict and violence. This, in turn, could promote long-term stability and peace in the country,” Alannah Travers, a researcher and consultant working on these issues with organizations including the Coalition for Just Reparations (C4JR), told The New Region on Tuesday.