Isis child suspects being detained and tortured without evidence, human rights report reveals

'This sweeping, punitive approach is not justice, and will create lifelong negative consequences for many of these children'

Children suspected of being affiliated with Isis are being arrested and subjected to torture in order to coerce confessions, a Human Rights Watch report has said.

The Iraqi and Kurdish regional government authorities have charged at least 185 children with terrorism for alleged affiliation with the terror group, the group said.

Its report found approximately 1,500 children were being held in detention for alleged links to Isis at the end of 2018.

Jo Becker, children’s rights advocacy director for Human Rights Watch, said: “This sweeping, punitive approach is not justice, and will create lifelong negative consequences for many of these children.”

The Independent has contacted Iraqi and Kurdish authorities for comment.

Human Rights Watch’s 53-page report alleged Iraqi and Kurdish authorities use “deeply flawed screening processes” which “often lead to detention and prosecution of children regardless of whether they have any involvement with Isis, or the extent of that involvement”.

It said Iraqi and Kurdish authorities regularly arrest and prosecute children for any perceived connection to Isis, use torture to coerce confessions and sentence children to prison in “hasty and unfair” trials.

In November, the rights group interviewed 29 people who had been detained as children for alleged links to Isis.

Of those, 19 said they had been tortured, including being beaten with plastic pipes, electric cables or suffering electric shocks.

One 17-year-old boy said he was beaten and hung in the air for 10 minutes at a time by his wrists, which were tied behind his back.

The report said most of the children who admitted to being associated with Isis said they joined because of economic need, peer or family pressure, while others cited family problems or a desire to gain social status.

Some said they worked for the terror group as guards, cooks or drivers.

The report said some Iraqi children who have been arrested for suspected Isis involvement have claimed they are afraid to go home once released, because they fear they have been branded as Isis members by being arrested, making them vulnerable to revenge attacks.

Human Rights Watch said children recruited by armed groups should be recognised primarily as victims who should be rehabilitated and reintegrated into society.

Rejecting a previous Human Rights Watch report released in January containing allegations children were being tortured to confess to Isis links, a Kurdish official denied the allegations of torture and said the authorities' policy was to "rehabilitate" such children.