Human Rights Watch said that the Iraqi government escalated its attacks on rights throughout 2024 by passing or attempting to pass “harsh” laws that would restrict the freedoms of Iraqis .
This came in the 546-page World Report 2025, in its 35th edition, in which the organization reviewed human rights practices in more than 100 countries. In most parts of the world .
“Iraq has an opportunity to enact structural reforms that would strengthen basic rights and help maintain the country’s relative stability,” said Sarah Sanbar, Iraq researcher at Human Rights Watch. “But instead, the authorities seem determined to enact legislation that deprives Iraqis of freedom, ramp up executions, and suppress dissent .”
The Iraqi parliament discussed an amendment to the “Personal Status Law” that would allow Iraqi religious authorities, rather than state law, to oversee matters of marriage and inheritance, at the expense of basic rights, according to the organization’s report .
“If this amendment passes, it will have disastrous effects on women’s and girls’ rights under international law by allowing girls as young as nine to marry, undermining the principle of equality under Iraqi law, and removing divorce and inheritance protections for women ,” Human Rights Watch said.
On April 27, 2024, Parliament passed an amendment to the Anti-Prostitution Law that punishes same-sex relations with prison terms of 10 to 15 years. The amendment also imposes prison sentences of one to three years for people who undergo or perform gender-affirming medical interventions or “imitate women .”
The law also provides for imprisonment of up to seven years and a fine of up to 15 million dinars (about US$11,450) as a penalty for “promoting homosexuality,” an undefined charge .
The organization indicated in its report that, “The Iraqi authorities significantly increased the scope and frequency of unlawful executions in 2024, without prior notice to lawyers or family members, and despite credible allegations of torture and violations of the right to a fair trial .”
Human Rights Watch pointed out that the termination of the work of the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by ISIS (UNITAD) in September left survivors feeling uncertain about the future of ISIS accountability in Iraq .
The report continued, “Pending issues include whether evidence collected by the investigation team is preserved, the need to open mass graves, ensuring the return of displaced persons, and compensating those whose homes and businesses were destroyed during the conflict .”
The organization concluded its report by saying, “The Iraqi authorities should reject the proposed amendment to the Personal Status Law, repeal the anti-LGBT law, and halt executions with the aim of abolishing the death penalty.”
