[JURIST] Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] stated [text] on Sunday that the
Islamic State of Iraq [Global Security profile], a suspected al Qaeda branch, had committed crimes against humanity during the July 29 bombings in Iraq. The Islamic State of Iraq claimed responsibility [AP report] for a series of car bombs implemented to aid a prison raid. The July 29 bombings killed over 60 people, and July was the bloodiest month in Iraq in over five years according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) [official website] estimates [text]. UNAMI reported that that 1,057 Iraqis died and 2,326 were wounded in July due to terrorism. The Islamic State of Iraq stated that the bombings served as retaliation for government security forces’ attack on a Sunni protest camp in Hawija.

The human rights situation in Iraq remains fragile. In June, UNAMI released a report [JURIST report] which urged Iraqi leaders to develop measures addressing the growing trend of human rights abuses in Iraq. In July 2012 UNAMI condemned [JURIST report] a coordinated string of bombings and shootings in 13 cities, including Baghdad, that killed at least 91 people and injured nearly 200 more. In May 2012 UNAMI reported [JURIST report] that the human rights situation in Iraq continued to struggle during the nation’s transition from a decade-long dictatorship to a peaceful democratic system. UNAMI reported [JURIST report] in August 2011 that human rights abuses continued to plague various regions of Iraq. In December 2008 UNAMI stated [JURIST report] that while general security conditions in Iraq have improved, human rights violations continued, particularly with respect to the treatment of detainees in the country.