March not only included the first anniversary of the Iraq invasion, the last few weeks saw a number of reports and statements released about the current human rights and humanitarian situation in Iraq as well as efforts to investigate past violations committed by the Hussein regime. Much of the human rights information has recently been presented to the 60th Session of the UN Human Rights Commission (currently ongoing in Geneva, Switzerland). Below are a statement by the Acting UN High Commissioner on Human Rights, reports by Amnesty International and the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iraq, and testimonials by Iraqi families. Also, we must not forget the ongoing food and refugee issues.

United Nations: Press Release -- Acting High Commissioner for Human Rights Reiterates Support for Iraqi Rights Ministry
One year on the human rights situation remains dire (Amnesty International - Part 1)
One year on the human rights situation remains dire (Amnesty International - Part 2)
United Nations Economic and Social Council: Question of the Violation of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in Any Part of the World -- Situation of Human Rights in Iraq
Human Rights Abuses in Iraq – Four Testimonials
WFP to supply food aid until July
Aid agencies scramble to deal with influx of refugees from Iran

Since the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, workers there have faced intolerable conditions: massive unemployment, grossly inadequate compensation in the few jobs that can be found, and harassment of organized labor by the occupying forces. The Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) has arrested labor leaders repeatedly and ransacked union offices -- and, unbelievably, is enforcing Saddam Hussein's anti-union laws.

TAKE ACTION! Click here to urge your U.S. Representative to sign onto Rep. Sam Farr's letter calling on the CPA to provide jobs or income to Iraqi workers, pay a living wage, and allow Iraqi workers to exercise internationally recognized labor rights.

It is clear from conversations with Iraqis and reports from delegations recently returned from Iraq that the daily lives of the Iraqi people have not improved in the 10 months since Saddam Hussein was overthrown. In many cases, things are even worse with no improvement in sight. A case in point is the dismal conditions of Iraq's hospitals. Even at the “best” hospitals, like Baghdad’s Central Teaching Hospital for Children, it is reported that 80 percent of the patients leave with infections they did not have when they arrived. The wards are filthy, the sanitaion shocking, the infections lethal, and sewage drips from the roof above cots of premature babies. The following articles document the current conditions in Iraq’s hospitals. Is this what hospitals in “liberated” countries are supposed to look like?

Dying of neglect: the state of Iraq's children's hospitals
Chaos and War Leave Iraq's Hospitals in Ruins
Scenes of horror still plague an Iraqi hospital

International Occupation Watch's Baghdad office is dedicated to suporting the Iraqi people in their struggle for self-determination and basic human rights. Following are recent articles reporting on the issues of human rights abuses of Iraqis and protests against those abuses, the interim constitution, and an upcoming national conference for an independent and unified Iraq:

Human Rights Abuses in Iraq – Four Testimonials
Confiscating Iraqis’ Right to Work: The Most Dangerous Aspect of the Constitution
The National Conference for an Independent and Unified Iraq
One Year After the Invasion: Iraqi and International Human Rights Groups Organize Three Days of Solidarity with Iraqi People Suffering Under Occupation

Just as the end of “major hostilities” in Iraq on May 1 has not meant the end of casualties for the US army, it has not meant an end to Iraqi casualties during US military operations. Hundreds, if not thousands of claims have been filed against the military for wrongful death, injuries and property destruction. Lawyers from the National Association of the Defense of Human Rights in Iraq have filed 120 cases for compensation with the military. Occupation Watch has filed 20 cases and logged more than 80 cases. None of the claims that have been filed have received compensation. To download a report on these cases and the compensation process, click here.

A team of investigative reporters in Iraq have found a pattern of waste, fraud and abuse among U.S. companies receiving multi-billion-dollar “reconstruction” contracts in the country, including massive over-charges for projects; shoddy work or a failure to complete tasks; and ignoring local experts who contend they could do the job better and cheaper.