MOSCOW, October 14 (RIA Novosti) - Amnesty International has slammed Iraqi authorities for supporting and arming Shia militias, who are carrying out attacks in the cities of Baghdad, Samarra and Kirkuk on Sunni civilians, ostensibly in retaliation for Islamic State (IS) actions, a statement published on the organization's website said Tuesday.
"By failing to hold militias accountable for war crimes and other gross human rights abuses the Iraqi authorities have effectively granted them free rein to go on the rampage against Sunnis. The new Iraqi government of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi must act now to rein in the militias and establish the rule of law," Amnesty International senior crisis response adviser Donatella Rovera said in the statement.
"Militia members, numbering tens of thousands, wear military uniforms, but they operate outside any legal framework and without any official oversight," the statement added.
The organization stated that Sunnis were attacked under the pretext of fighting terrorism, whereas the real aim of the Shia militias is to "punish Sunnis for the rise of the IS."
According to the organization, details about the fate of many individuals kidnapped by the Shia militias remain unknown. Some abductees, Amnesty notes, were killed even though ransoms were paid.
Amnesty stated that the Shia militias came to power and prominence in June, when the Iraqi Army gave in, leaving almost a third of the country under IS control.
