 assassination of professors Defend International is concerned by the cases
of assassination of postgraduates, professors and students in Iraq.
These attacks regardless of the circumstances
they do have huge impacts on education, health sectors, media and justice
systems, as well as the whole society.
Name: Hundreds
of postgraduates, doctors and lecturers
Authorities: Iraqi
government and Multi-National forces
Category: Harassment
/ Killings / Assassinations / Concern about Iraqi academics safety
The case:
According to the information received during
last year hundreds of named cases of assassination of postgraduates, medical
professors and students have been documented. Some of the cases have been
reported, many others are not. The reasons vary from fear for their own or
their families' safety and integrity, to institutional or registration failure or
poor communications.
Victims of these
murderers are from both gender and from all religious beliefs and
sectarian affiliation. What all of the victims share in
common is that they are highly qualified scientists and
committed to pursuing teaching at the universities and colleges.
Facts
- Many professors, doctors, pharmacists, engineers and
students have abandoned their universities and started a search for a refuge in
Kurdistan region or neighbouring countries
like Syria, Jordan, Lebanon,
Egypt and Gulf states. After receiving death threats
or after being kidnapped or assaulted in other ways they don't have any other
options than fleeing to escape from possible random killings.
- The
Iraq Index, compiled by the Brookings Institution in Washington, released on
October 2007, estimated that up to 40 percent of Iraq's professional class have
left the country since 2003 1.
- Universities are not
the only educational institutions that have been attacked. There have also been
attacks against girls' school such as the one in Baghdad that left five students dead and more
than 20 injured 2.
- Studies by the United Nations
Children's Fund (UNICEF) and Iraqi Ministry of Education observed that 74% of
school children not attending their schools are female.
- In November 2007 male gynecologists were
targeted by Islamic extremists as they were accused of invading the privacy of
women 3.
DI Views & Demands:
Scientists and intellectuals are famous for
their call for the development of necessary conditions to create a healthy and
effective civil society based on the principals of democracy and the rule of
law; they share the responsibility for promoting peace and tolerance.
Many human rights organizations in general,
Defend International and its member organizations in particular are concerned
by these assassinations and its possible impact on ongoing efforts for
stabilizing and rebuilding Iraq.
These attacks
regardless of the circumstances they do have huge impacts on education, health
sectors, media and justice systems, as well as the whole society.
DI Demands the authorities to:
- Safeguard the future and heal the past by protecting educational institutions, centers
and schools, by establishing checkpoints, using advanced electronic systems and
providing accommodations in restricted areas near
their place of work;
- Preserve the sanctity of education
institutions;
- Conduct a thorough and impartial inquiry, at the earliest opportunity, into the
cases of assassinations, kidnappings, threats and attacks in
order to identify those responsible and bring them to justice. We encourage the
government to publish the results;
- Ensure that individuals are properly protected in the country;
- Bring peace, tolerance and security in
post-war Iraq;
- Guarantee by legislation the rights of
academics and intellectuals to enjoy their full democratic rights; and to
- Establish the independence of the education system to prevent political,
ideological and religious interference in the education process.
Defend International will continue to monitor
the situation in Iraq
closely.
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