Human rights in Islamic State-controlled territory

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History of the Islamic State

Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad (1999‑2004)

Al-Qaeda in Iraq (2004‑2006)

Jama'at Jaysh Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jama'ah (2004‑2006)

Jaish al-Ta'ifa al-Mansurah (2004‑2006)

Mujahideen Shura Council (2006)

Islamic State of Iraq (2006‑2013)

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
(2013‑2014)

Islamic State (2014‑present)
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The condition of human rights in the territory controlled by the Islamic State (IS) is considered to be among the worst in the world.[1][2][3][4] The Islamic State's policies included acts of genocide,[5][6][7] torture[8][9] and slavery.[10][11] The United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) stated in November 2014 that the Islamic State "seeks to subjugate civilians under its control and dominate every aspect of their lives through terror, indoctrination, and the provision of services to those who obey". Many Islamic State actions of extreme criminality, terror, recruitment and other activities have been documented in the Middle East.[12]

The territories in Iraq and Syria, which was occupied by the Islamic State and claimed as part of its self-dubbed "Caliphate"[13] saw the creation of one of the most criminally active, corrupt and violent regimes in modern times, and it ruled that territory until its defeat.[14] IS murdered tens of thousands of civilians,[15] kidnapped several thousand people, and forced hundreds of thousands of others to flee. It systematically committed torture, mass rapes, forced marriages,[16] extreme acts of ethnic cleansing, mass murder, genocide, robbery, extortion, smuggling, slavery, kidnappings, and the use of child soldiers; in its implementation of strict interpretations of Sharia law which were based on ancient eighth-century methods, they carried out public "punishments"[17] such as beheadings, crucifixions, beatings, mutilation and dismemberment, the stoning of both children and adults, and the live burning of people. IS members committed rape against tens of thousands of girls and women (mainly members of non-Sunni minority groups and families).

Several human rights organizations and peace organizations, including Human Rights Watch, the United Nations and Amnesty International, have deemed IS guilty of crimes against humanity, and they have also accused the whole IS organization of being a criminal organization, one which has committed some of the most severe war crimes since World War II.[18][19]

  1. ^ "ISIS Fast Facts". CNN. September 6, 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  2. ^ "FN: IS har begått ohyggliga brott mot mänskligheten". Omni (in Swedish). Retrieved 2020-11-04.
  3. ^ Puppincck, Gregor (October 2017). "ISIS Crimes: Justice Must Be Done!". European Centre for Law & Justice. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  4. ^ Wille, Belkis (August 3, 2018). "Four Years on, Evidence of ISIS Crimes Lost to Time". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  5. ^ Bell, Stewart (June 5, 2019). "RCMP Explores Crimes Against Humanity Charges for Canadian ISIS Members". Global News. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  6. ^ "UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria: ISIS is Committing Genocide Against the Yazidis". United Nations Human Rights Council. June 16, 2016. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  7. ^ ""They Came to Destroy": ISIS Crimes Against the Yazidis". Peace Women. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  8. ^ Moore, Jack (August 15, 2017). "ISIS Torture Methods Revealed: Sitting With Severed Heads, Fuel Dousing and The 'Flying Carpet'". Newsweek. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  9. ^ Saidova, Maftuna (June 25, 2018). "Rebuilding Iraq Should Include Mental Health Care for Yazidi Survivors". Global Justice Center. Archived from the original on May 24, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  10. ^ "Report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the human rights situation in Iraq in the light of abuses committed by the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant and associated groups". Human Rights Council. March 13, 2015. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  11. ^ Callimachi, Rukmini; Rossback, Andrew (April 4, 2018). "Extreme Brutality and Detailed Record-Keeping". The New York Times. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  12. ^ "Rule of Terror: Living under ISIS in Syria" (PDF). United Nations Commission on Human Rights. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 February 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  13. ^ Chulov, Martin (March 24, 2019). "The Rise and Fall of the Isis 'Caliphate'". The Guardian. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  14. ^ Houry, Nadim (February 5, 2019). "Bringing ISIS to Justice: Running Out of Time?". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  15. ^ Nebehay, Stephanie (2014-10-02). "Islamic State committing 'staggering' crimes in Iraq: U.N. report". Reuters. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
  16. ^ "Iraq's Criminal Laws Preclude Justice for Women and Girls". Global Justice Center. March 26, 2018. Archived from the original on June 17, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  17. ^ Speckhard, Anne (24 January 2019). "The Punishments of the Islamic State – ICSVE". Retrieved 2020-11-04.
  18. ^ "ISIS | Human Rights Watch". www.hrw.org. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
  19. ^ "UN accuses Islamic State of 'gross rights abuses'". BBC News. 2014-10-02. Retrieved 2020-11-04.