Palestinians in Iraq tortured: Amnesty

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http://www.khaleejtimes.ae/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/focusoniraq/2007/October/focusoniraq_October1.xml§ion=focusoniraq&col=

1 October 2007

LONDON - Thousands of Palestinian refugees in Iraq have been ill-treated, with many of them abducted, tortured and murdered by armed Shia Muslim groups, Amnesty International said in a report published on Monday.

The London-based human rights group issued an urgent appeal to the Shia-led Iraqi government, US-led coalition and international community to take concrete steps to protect the Palestinians.

“Palestinian refugees in Iraq have been subjected to gross human rights abuses including abduction, hostage-taking, unlawful killing, torture and other ill-treatment at the hands of armed militia groups,” it said.

The groups are reportedly linked to some political parties and religious groups, it said.

Palestinians are targeted, it said, because they are seen to have received “preferential treatment” from the ousted dictatorship of Saddam Hussein, a Sunni like most of them, or they are suspected to support Sunni insurgents.

“Many Palestinians were arrested and detained by the Iraqi security forces for the same reasons. Some were allegedly tortured in detention,” it said.