In February 2010 the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva conducted its periodic review of Iraq. The Iraqi Human Rights Minister Wijdan Salim attended the periodic review working group session.

The primary recommendations were to:

• Re-establish a moratorium on the death penalty with the view to abolishing it
• Bring all de facto detention facilities under the authority of the government
• Work to eliminate detention without charge and trial and ensure transparency for all sentences
• Investigate all human rights abuses, in particular allegations of torture
• Take steps to combat religion-based intolerance
• Strengthen measures to eradicate violence against women and girls and raise social awareness on their rights
• Take measures to promote and protect the rights of minorities
• Take steps to end intimidation and abuses against journalists and human rights defenders
• Repeal article 128 of the Criminal Code which identifies “the commission of an offence with honourable motives” as a mitigating excuse
• Extend an invitation to the Special Rapporteur on Torture

The Human Rights Council is the successor to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights and is a subsidiary body of the United Nations General Assembly.

The USA Delegation issued a statement dated 16 February 2010 urging Iraq to continue the process of bringing all detention facilities and prisons under the authority of the Ministry of Justice and to improve conditions in Ministry-operated facilities and hold accountable any law enforcement official suspected of involvement in torture, abuse, or coerced confessions.