Rights group: IS suspects face violations in Iraqi custody

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BAGHDAD — An international rights group says thousands of people suspected of having ties to the Islamic State group face widespread rights violations in Iraqi custody.

Human Rights Watch says in a report released on Tuesday that some 20,000 people are believed to be in Iraqi custody on suspicion of ties to IS, many held in inhumane detention facilities and not granted due process.

The report states that Iraqi authorities “should prioritize prosecuting those who perpetrated the most serious crimes,” rather than charging thousands under broad counterterrorism laws.

The New York-based watchdog also warns the abuses deny IS victims justice and threaten to undermine future attempts at reconciliation in Iraq.

Iraqi forces backed by the U.S.-led coalition have slowly retaken nearly all of the territory IS once held in Iraq since 2014.