On May 17, Kazuko Ito, Secretary General of Human Rights Now (HRN), together with 57 academics and scientists, signed an open letter asking the World Health Organization and the Iraqi Ministry of Health to release their long overdue report on congenital birth defects in Iraq.
The letter, asking for the release of their report on birth defects and cancers, has attracted global news coverage. HRN will continue its efforts to draw attention to this issue to prevent further victimization of children in Iraq, and we believe that the immediate release of this report will be the first step towards mobilizing global efforts to protect public health from further degradation in Iraq and in the entire region.
A full copy of
the letter is available to both read and download in PDF file format here.
Earlier this year, in April 2013, Human Rights Now released a report comprising over 50 pages from our own fact finding mission to Fallujah, Iraq. A full copy of the report is available to read and download in PDF format here.
The WHO has since responded to this letter with a statement on their website here.
