UN refugee agency concerned over treatment of displaced people in Iraq

The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has expressed concern over a rising trend of newly-displaced Iraqis being forcibly transferred to camps where restrictions on their freedom of movement are imposed, said a UN spokesman at a daily briefing Friday.

Those restrictions are imposed "in a manner disproportionate to any legitimate concern, including those related to security," said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN secretary-general.

Instances of forcible relocation of Iraqis into camps, as well as disproportionate restrictions on their freedom of movement, have also been recorded in different parts of Iraq, he said.

"The freedom of movement is crucial to displaced people being able to exercise other rights, such as access to work, food, healthcare and legal assistance," he said.

Therefore, UNHCR urged the Iraqi government to set up clear procedures and facilities to undertake security screening that are separate from camps established to provide shelter and other humanitarian assistance to displaced Iraqis, he said.

With the prospect of further displacement as military operations against extremist groups escalate, Dujarric pointed out that "it is becoming increasingly urgent for the authorities to ensure both that internally displaced people are granted access to safety in a timely manner, and that camps maintain their humanitarian character." Enditem