08.2007 - Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees

Attacks against former members of Ba'ath Party; high ranking officials face severe risk of attacks; party members at low ranks are well known locally and therefore also face risk of attacks in their neighbourhood ("UNHCR's Eligibility Guidelines for Assessing the International Protection Needs of Iraqi Asylum-seekers") [ID 23255]

"Persons affiliated or associated with the former Government in Iraq, through membership in the Ba’ath Party or as a result of their functions or profession, have been the subject of attacks since the early days of the regime change and continue to face serious risk of human rights violations. The degree to which these persons are at risk depends on several factors, such as the extent of association with the Ba’athist ideology and the human rights violations committed during that era, the rank or position previously held, and whether or not the person is known to have been involved in political activities. Senior level of affiliation or rank within the Ba’ath Party or the country’s political or security system may be a determining factor regarding who is targeted. Low-ranking officials have, however, also been killed or otherwise attacked because their activities were well-known at neighbourhood level, e.g. they were involved in policing activities, the search for army deserters or the recruitment for paramilitary armed groups such as Jaish Al-Quds (The Jerusalem Army), the Fedayeen Saddam (Saddam’s “Men of Sacrifice”) and the Ashbal Saddam (Saddam’s Lion Cubs). In addition, a number of low-level bureaucrats such as teachers and professors have been killed. Some bodies that were found were clearly identified (with notes on them) as Ba’ath Party members.

Former members of the Ba’ath Party and the country’s political and security institutions may face harassment, intimidation and physical violence, including assassination. Reportedly, “hit-lists” have been established by Shi’ite militias from Ba’ath Party membership lists and documents looted from buildings of the former security and intelligence agencies after the fall of the former regime. Former officials are accused of having engaged in broad-based discrimination and widespread terror, suppressing freedom of conscience, and condoning summary and arbitrary executions, torture, rape and sexual abuse during detention and enforced or involuntary disappearances.

Despite a number of fatwas issued by Shi’ite clerics, including Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-
Sistani, not to carry out acts of revenge against Ba’ath party members or security officers of the former Government, a wave of killings took place after the fall of the former regime."

Document(s): Open document

18.05.2005 - Source: Institute for War and Peace Reporting

Debaathification Committee has excluded 600 ex-Baathists ("original document (English)") [ID 10215]

"Hundreds of ex-Baathists off the hook
(Addustour) The Debaathification Committee has excluded more than 600 people formerly included in the resolutions regarding debaathification, bringing the total of those left out to 9,000. The committee said former Baathist officials could apply to be excluded by obtaining a letter from a respected organisation attesting to their good character. The ex-Baathists would then be reassigned to their old jobs.
(Addustour is an independent daily published by former journalist Basim al-Sheikh.)"

Document(s): original document (English)

05.05.2005 - Source: Institute for War and Peace Reporting

De-Baathification effort under fire ("original document (English)") [ID 10216]

"De-Baathification effort under fire
(Al-Mashriq) A member of Iraq's de-Baathification committee, Hussein al-Tahhan, has accused outgoing prime minister Ayad Allawi of obstructing the process when he was in office. He accused Allawi of appointing many former Baathists to important positions without running the appointments past the committee. Tahhan said the committee does not want to see a campaign of purges, but it believes "criminals" should not have a chance to join the new government. The new interior minister, for example, inherits more than 1,000 former Baathists who were given posts by the outgoing administration.
(Al-Mashriq is published daily by Al-Mashriq Institute for Media and Cultural Investments.)"

Document(s): original document (English)

29.11.2004 - Source: Institute for War and Peace Reporting

Government calls for de-Baathification ("original document") [ID 10217]

"(Al-Iraq al-Yoom) – The government has issued strict regulations to all ministries calling upon them to implement quickly the resolutions of de-Baathification. National Assembly Deputy Head and leading figure in the Dawa Party Jawad al-Maliki said the events in Mosul and Fallujah proved the involvement of the Baath Party. Also, there were elements loyal to the former regime inside the security apparatuses.
(Al-Iraq al-Yoom is a weekly newspaper issued by Isra Shakir.)"

Document(s): original document

22.10.2004 - Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Readmission of former senior Ba'ath Party members to positions in interim government ("original document") [ID 10218]

"Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi has made it his goal to readmit former senior Ba'ath Party members to positions within the interim government. The U.S.-supported plan would allow members who have not been charged with crimes to work within government ministries and institutions, according to a 12 October report on nytimes.com.

Proponents of the plan argue that not all Ba'athists were supporters of deposed dictator Saddam Hussein, but rather were forced to join the party in order to advance their careers. Supporters also argue that former Ba'athists possess the skills and knowledge needed to rebuild Iraq and establish security there. Allawi, a former Ba'athist himself, has stressed on several occasions the necessity of bringing some members of the defunct regime back into the government. He also wants them to compete in January elections.

But the plan is also fraught with potential dangers; it could place suspect individuals into positions of power and destabilize the fragile government even further. It was clear months before Allawi assumed power that officials could not easily distinguish between dedicated Ba'athists and those who joined the party for career advancement. Canada's "Globe and Mail" reported just three days after gunmen assassinated rotating Governing Council President Izz al-Din Salim in May that the Iraqi Governing Council was recruiting former Ba'athists as security personnel (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20 May 2004). The Arab Resistance Movement-Al-Rashid Brigades, a Sunni group likely tied to former Ba'athists, claimed responsibility for the assassination.

In September, the U.S. Army arrested a high-ranking Iraqi National Guard officer in Ba'qubah because of his alleged links to militants, Al-Arabiyah reported on 23 September. Major General Talib Abd al-Ghayth al-Luhaybi was in charge of three National Guard regiments assigned with security duties in the Diyala governorate at the time of his arrest.

U.S. forces also dismantled the controversial Al-Fallujah Brigade in September. The brigade was established in April and operated outside the authority of the Iraqi Defense Ministry and Army. The reason? The brigade, comprised of former Hussein-era troops and commanders, was suspected of aiding insurgents in the volatile city (see "RFE/RL Iraq Report," 16 September 2004).

A 26 September report by Knight Ridder contends that former Ba'athists have already rebuilt a sophisticated network in Baghdad, and have many members strategically positioned within the government. Ba'ath Party members reportedly hold regular meetings in the Iraqi capital and employ "sophisticated computer technology" to enable clandestine communications and websites. The network extends to Syria and Jordan, where former high-level regime members are said to be in hiding. Mithal al-Alusi, who heads the CPA-installed De-Ba'athification Commission, told Knight-Ridder: "There are two governments in Iraq," adding, "Ba'athists are like thieves, stealing the power of the new government. Their work is organized and strong."

The commission itself is facing problems with the Allawi government. Allawi has reportedly tried to dismantle the commission and replace it with a more lenient structure, nytimes.com reported. A council of Iraqi judges ruled, however, that the commission could not be dismantled under the interim constitution. Allawi's cabinet subsequently ordered ministries to cease contact with the commission, and ordered the commission to move outside the U.S.-controlled Green Zone in Baghdad. Ali Faisal al-Lami, a general director of the commission, told the website that Allawi has appointed several former senior Ba'athists to top security-force positions despite objections from the commission. Ministries have also not heeded recommendations for dismissals of hundreds of questionable former Ba'athists, he added.

Allawi also wants "moderate" Ba'athists to participate in January elections. London's pro-Ba'athist newspaper "Al-Quds al-Arabi" claimed in a 6 October report that the prime minister has sought Jordan's help in securing contacts with former Ba'athists not closely tied to the Hussein regime in order to recruit them and other moderate Sunnis to participate in the elections.

Baghdad's "Al-Mashriq" cited Allawi as telling Iraqi reporters that Ba'athists would indeed run in the January elections. "We must draw a line dividing the harmful and non-harmful Ba'athists. Those who did not commit an offensive act against the Iraqi people have the right to run in the upcoming elections and become involved in the political process," the daily quoted Allawi as saying in an 18 October report.

But, as Iraqi National Congress daily "Al-Mu'tamar" pointed out on 17 October, rules set by the Iraqi Election Commission stipulate that former Ba'ath party members with the rank of group member and higher are not allowed to run for office. The election commission works outside the control of the Allawi government. Lower-ranking Ba'athists would be required to sign a document renouncing their membership in order to participate in elections. The rules are not foolproof, however, as former high-ranking members could easily endorse and then direct a lower-ranking "independent" candidate once that person assumes office.

Iraqi weekly "Al-Bayyinah" reported on 17 October that the Ba'ath Party has reorganized under the name "Al-Islah" (The Reform) and is being led by former regime loyalists, including Tahir Jalil al-Habush, the former director of Iraqi intelligence; former Republican Guard commander Sayf al-Rawi; and Hani and Rafi'a Tulfah, relatives of Hussein."

Document(s): original document

23.04.2004 - Source: BBC News

Iraq Baathists to get jobs back ("original document") [ID 10219]

"The US administrator in Iraq says many former public sector workers who lost their jobs after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime may be reinstated. (...) More than 400,000 civil servants lost their jobs when the armed forces, security services, defence and information ministries were dissolved after the fall of Saddam Hussein."

Document(s): original document

16.01.2004 - Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

High-ranking members of the Ba'ath Party renounced their affiliation ("original document") [ID 10222]

"(...) U.S. REPORTS BA'ATH PARTY RENUNCIATIONS, WEAPONS HANDOVERS IN IRAQ. An unspecified number of high-ranking members of the Ba'ath Party that formerly ruled Iraq renounced their affiliation to the party in front of "fellow Iraqis and leaders of the 101st Airborne Division" in the northwestern Iraqi town of Tal Afar on 12 January, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced in a press release posted on its website (http://www.centcom.mil) the same day.

CENTCOM reported that the same officials turned over more than 120 AK-47 assault rifles and three machine guns. The 3rd Brigade combat team has so far collected 719 AK-47s and various other weapons in Iraq, which they will turn over to Iraqi police and military. The Iraqi Governing Council took control of implementation of a new policy on 11 December whereby the council's so-called de-Ba'athification committee will determine whether former party members dismissed under a new policy may appeal for reinstatement to their former government posts. (...)"

Document(s): original document

11.11.2003 - Source: AlertNet

Let Saddam's foes fight insurgents - Iraq minister ("Alert net: Let Saddam's foes fight insurgents - Iraq minister") [ID 10227]

""They would hunt down Baathist loyalists, within the law, but with a tougher approach," he said. "We need to show people that there is a visible Iraqi authority in the street." Zebari blamed most of the violence in Iraq on die-hard Baathists bent on revenge for the toppling of Saddam, their leader, even though they knew Saddam could never regain power."

Document(s): Alert net: Let Saddam's foes fight insurgents - Iraq minister

11.10.2003 - Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

U.S. Troops Detain Four Suspects In Tikrit Raid ("Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: U.S. Troops Detain Four Suspects In Tikrit Raid") [ID 10228]

"Lieutenant Colonel Steve Russell, who commanded the raids, said two of the men were also suspected of links to one of Saddam's special security units. "Actually two of the individuals that we detained tonight have a connection with the Special Security Office of the former regime, SSO, so that is important information for us and we're going to try to find out what that connection means," Russel said."

Document(s): Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: U.S. Troops Detain Four Suspects In Tikrit Raid

13.08.2003 - Source: UK Refugee Council

Lists of former regime members [ID 10233]

Low ranking Ba'ath member killed , members of Iraq's former ruling Ba'ath Party have become the target of revenge attacks

"Witnesses have named several individuals in the area know to have taken part in the extra-judicial execution of hundreds of people in 1991 and prosecutors have found a secret Ba'ath Party book, titled “In Order Not to Forget”, which names several men who took part in “repressing the rebellion in the chapter of treason and betrayal”."

Document(s): Open document

17.06.2003 - Source: Institute for War and Peace Reporting

Kurdish region: Kurdish official in Baath party accused of a triple murder and arrested by Kurdish police; the case has become a test case for post-Saddam justice ("Prosecuting the Ba'ath") [#13611],  [ID 10236]

"The trial could become a test case for the Kurdish region. Many believe that if Salih is convicted and sentenced, it will act as a deterrent to anyone thinking of taking justice into their own hands."

Document(s): Open document

20.05.2003 - Source: Washington Post

Revenge killings of former members of the ruling Baath Party in Baghdad, Najaf, Karbala and Basra reported ("Iraqis Killing Former Baath Party Members") [#12852],  [ID 10238]

Document(s): Open document