06/03/2019 15:44
Hundreds of children detained over IS links in Iraq - HRW
About 1,500 children are being detained by federal and Kurdish authorities in Iraq for alleged links to the Islamic State group, Human Rights Watch says.
A new report says the children are often arbitrarily arrested and tortured to force confessions.
HRW urges the federal and Kurdistan Region's governments to amend anti-terrorism laws to end such detentions, saying they violate international law.
Iraqi and Kurdish officials have so far made no comment.
The Kurdistan Region's government has previously rejected an HRW report which alleged that children were being tortured to confess to IS links.
In January, an official said its policy was to "rehabilitate" such children; torture was prohibited; and children were afforded the same rights as other prisoners.