[JURIST] The human rights situation in Iraq is "disastrous" [press release] five years after the US-led invasion of the country, according to a report [PDF text] from Amnesty International [advocacy website] released Monday. According to the report's introduction:

Five years after the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussain, Iraq is one of the most dangerous countries in the world. Hundreds of people are being killed every month in the pervasive violence, while countless lives are threatened every day by poverty, cuts to power and water supplies, food and medical shortages, and rising violence against women and girls. Sectarian hatred has torn apart families and neighbourhoods that once lived together in harmony.

Despite the heavy US and Iraqi military and police presence, law and order remain a distant prospect. The US-led Multinational Force (MNF) and the Iraqi government formed from political parties that gained from or emerged out of the 2003 invasion have failed to institute the rule of law, uphold human rights, bring peace and security, or end impunity.

Amnesty criticized the reintroduction of the death penalty in 2004, saying that at least 33 Iraqis were executed in the past year, often after procedurally flawed trials. Women's rights have also suffered since the 2003 invasion, as more women have been forced to wear Islamic dress or have been targeted for abduction, rape or killing. AFP has more.

Also Monday, the International Committee of the Red Cross [official website] released a report [PDF text; press release] deploring the humanitarian situation in Iraq. The ICRC expressed particular concern with "insufficient access to clean water, sanitation and health care" and urged "all those involved in the conflict and those who can influence them must do everything possible to ensure that civilians, medical staff and medical facilities are not harmed," saying that "This is an obligation under international humanitarian law that applies to all parties to an armed conflict – both States and non-State actors." CBC News has more.