Monitoring, documentation, and report writing on prisons and Reformatories in Iraq.

Shwan Saber to ” Justice Network for Prisoners  in Iraq”: Civil society monitors, documents, and writes reports on prisons and Reformatories in Iraq…

Baghdad / Erbil – Prisoner Justice Network

In an exclusive interview conducted by our Network’s media department with him on March 31, 2026, human rights activist Shwan Saber, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Justice Network for Prisoners, affirmed that the role of civil society in monitoring, observing, and documenting within Reformatories  and prisons is a complementary role to the oversight bodies belonging to the three authorities (legislative, judicial, and executive) in Iraq. He stated that this role is not limited to prisons alone but extends to encompass the overall political, economic, social, and judicial situations, etc.

Saber said during the interview: “The primary role carried out by official oversight bodies in Iraq, through the Iraqi Council of Representatives and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq Parliament, the Inspector General’s Office – noting that there is no equivalent to the Inspector General’s Office in the Region – and the Public Prosecution Presidencies in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. There are also other bodies that conduct monitoring and inspection, such as the Independent High Commission for Human Rights in Iraq and its counterpart in the Region, the Independent Human Rights Commission.

These bodies represent the three authorities and are tasked with oversight and inspection according to the laws governing their work. The legislative authority has an oversight function. The Law on Reform of Inmates and Detainees No. 14 of 2018 and Regulation No. (1) of 2008 specific to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq assigned the task of inspection and monitoring to the executive authority. The Public Prosecution Laws No. 49 of 2017 for Iraq and Law No. 159 of 1979 for the Region, as well as the laws of the Independent Commission and the Independent Body, also indicated the task of monitoring and inspection in prisons and correctional facilities. These laws also imposed on those bodies the duty of monitoring as part of their work. They do not only monitor prisons, correctional facilities, and places of detention but also monitor human rights files and the proper application of laws wherever they may be in Iraq.”

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Justice Network for Prisoners clarified that there are entities complementing the work of these oversight bodies, such as the media, local and international non-governmental organizations, and other committees formed from multiple parties. He stressed that “it is very natural for civil society to have a monitoring role, not only in prisons but across the overall political, economic, social, security, legal, and judicial situations.”

Saber explained the nature of this role, saying: “The aforementioned oversight bodies monitor the legality of procedures, decisions, administrative matters, and even judicial matters, and the extent to which they align with international standards, the proper application of laws and decisions issued by higher authorities by administrations in general. We, as non-governmental organizations, our networks, and our coalitions, play the role of monitoring the constitutionality of issued laws, their alignment with international standards and Iraq’s international obligations, and the extent of implementation of international decisions and recommendations, especially those issued by member states of the Human Rights Council, specifically the international recommendations issued by that council in the years 2010, 2014, 2019, and 2025.

We should never forget to mention the important role of the ministries supervising prisons and correctional facilities in facilitating the tasks of the Justice Network for Prisonersk and its member organizations in their duties, foremost among them the Ministry of Justice in the Iraqi government and the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs in the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq, regarding facilitating procedures, granting approvals, holding continuous meetings with our network, and working on the network’s recommendations through the annual reports issued by the network and investigative reports as well.”

It is worth mentioning that the Justice Network for Prisoners continues its efforts in monitoring the conditions of inmates in Reformatories and prisons, working to enhance the principle of transparency and human rights according to legal and international standards. We affirm that (our goal is to contribute to improving human rights conditions in prisons and Reformatories, not to offend the administrations).