Iraq mortality after the 2003 war: A significant public health emergency

Babak Bazargan — 2006-10-19T09:56:00Z

(follow-ups... added on Dec. 12, 2006)

Part of a series of articles written in collaboration with Emma Lugenbill

Geneva — A recent Iraqi mortality study, in the British medical journal The Lancet, estimates that as of July 2006, an ‘excess deaths' of nearly 655,000 is attributed to the 40 months post-invasion of Iraq. This is according to an updated estimate of an October 2004 reported Iraqi excess mortality of 98,000. The study carried out by a joint US-Iraqi team.

If not for the war and of the occupation the report estimates that the death of 2.5% of the Iraqi population would not have occurred. In light of dismissal of Iraqi suffering and the neglect of their right to life with dignity, the Iraqi death toll estimate is now more than twice the rate prior to the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003. Under international humanitarian standards, the situation in Iraq amounts to a significant public health emergency. (...)

NGOs' questioning of the Human Rights Council

Babak Bazargan — 2006-06-14T06:18:00Z

Geneva — Starting next week, the United Nation's new Geneva-based Human Rights Council will replace the 60-year-old UN Commission on Human Rights. One of the clichés on this year's session of the new Council is that it would create a real window of opportunity and that governments, NGOs, institutions, and human rights activists must take advantage of it. But this window of opportunity has been subjected to much questioning, foremost by various non-governmental organizations. (...)