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The Hammurabi Human Rights Organization (also know has HHRO), founded in 2005, is a non-profit organization located in Iraq. The organization focuses on human rights,on the local and international level. It also focuses on rights for minority groups within Iraq like Yezidis, Sabian, Mandaen, Turkoman, Assyrian, Armenian and more. Their goal is to provide not only documentation for human rights abuses but also to provide humanitarian aid in Iraq. It focuses on vulnerable groups that are more likely to have their rights violated like children and women. To raise awareness about the issues HHRO publishes an annual report on the human rights situation in Iraq. It looks at what are the violations and who are the violators.

History
The ideal of creating the Hammurabi Human Rights organization first started in mid-2003 after there was a shift in the government of Iraq. Mr. William Warda and Ms. Pascale Warda started the organization in the Nineveh region of Iraq. Their goal was to get activist involves and to try to create a civil society. They saw that there was a lack of security and more acts of human rights violation across Iraq and decided to act. It was not until April 1, 2005, that the organization would become an NGO, with the Warda's coordination they were able to get activists on board with their ideal and formed an official NGO to promote and protect human rights in Iraq.

Purpose
The primary purpose of the Hammurabi Human Rights Organization is to defend human rights on the domestic level (regional and national) then on the international level. To do so, they concentrate their effort on tracking the policy of the Iraqi government and the international treaty that they have signed and ratified. They monitor the implication of those certain policies and international treaties, at the same time, trying to oversee the legislative, executive and judicial power to make sure that none violates human rights. They also work with the Iraqi communities to educate them on the importance of human rights, especially for vulnerable groups. To do so, they produce annual reports to showcase the violation of human rights on the Iraqi people and foreigners living in the country. By organizing seminars and workshops they give the opportunity to educate and raise awareness on core human rights issue. The organization also tries to prevent future human rights violation by giving awareness to the three branches of government on certain issues happening in the country. HHRO has also developed, during the years since its creation, key partnership with other IGOs in the region to further advance in their goals.

Funding and Membership
Most of the funding for the organization comes from donations from across the world. All are welcome to join the organization by completing a form. The board of directors are responsible for admitting new members and can have up to 10% of the total amount in the organization.

Staff
The HHRO was created by Pascale Warda, a former Iraqi Minister for Displacement and Migration. Pascale Warda is an Assyrian and Catholic Iraqi, born in Dahuk. She has worked with many organizations before creating the HHRO: Assyrian Women's Union, Assyrian Aid Society-Iraq and the Iraqi Women's Center for Development situated in Baghdad. The co-founder of HHRO is William Warda, married to Pascale Warda. He has also been part of different human rights group in the region like Alliance of Iraqi Minorities. William Warda also played a political role in the early 2000s. He served has the leader of the political and military Department for the Assyrian Democratic Movement.

Annual reports
Since 2007, the HHRO have published annual reports on the human rights situation in Iraq. Each year they focused on a key element in Iraqi society. The 2007 report and 2009 report were short and focus on the human rights violation of Christians in Iraq. It denounced the decline security situation of the country and the lack of effort by the government to stop these violations. To obtain their data they relied on statistics that they research themselves. The 2011, 2014 and 2015 report had a small shift in its content. It focused on minority groups and human rights violation committed against these groups and not just on Christian groups. From this point the organization focus strongly on minority groups and how the geopolitical situation of Iraq affected them. The latest report (2016) has once again shifted in its content. It has a focus on all human rights abuses in Iraq. It looks at how the group the Islamic State has had an impact on the human rights situation. The organization also focuses on internally displaced people.

Christian Solidarity
HHRO joined Christian Solidarity International (CSI) in efforts to visit and organize the distribution of relief aid to the internally displaced people (IDPs) in the region of Mosul and Baghdad. The relief aid consisted of essential goods for the population like food, milk and more. HHRO sees the opportunity to work with other NGOs in the region has a way to demonstrate that they are committed to help prevent and bring relief to all ethnic groups in Iraq. HHRO has also played a role with CSI in helping and providing aid to Christian minority group fleeing the terror group IS in Iraq. With the growing presence of the terror group since 2014, HHRO has seen an increase in its activities of delivering aid to affected regions and cities like Mosul with organization like Christian Solidarity. Their partnership has had an impact on Christian groups across the region that were under IS rules.

Ceasefire Project
The Ceasefire project is a programme that is supported by the European Union and focus on monitoring human rights abuses in Iraq. The goal of the project is that NGOs and civilian monitors the human rights abuses. The project focus on a variety of groups such has women, children, ethnic and religious minorities, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and more. By doing so, the project hopes to entrust NGOs with the power and the capacity to create a system that can help these affected groups by the situation in Iraq. HHRO is a main contributor to the project. Its task is to research, find, help promote human rights and to try to assist those who have been victims of human rights abuses.

Anticipating future human rights violation
HHRO has noted that the advance of military force to defeat IS will not necessarily solve the human right violation against minorities. William Warda, co-founder of the organization, has stated that most Internally Displaced People (IDP) from Mosul would not come back the coalition forces recaptured Mosul. He believed so because the liberation of Mosul from IS does not mean it will lead to law and order, giving the example of the Yazidis in the Sinjar region. Mr. Warda points out the historical facts of the country, stating that since Iraqi's independence in 1932 minority groups such has Christian and Yazidis had suffered atrocities.

Ethnic context
HHRO started out in the promotion and safe guarding of Assyrian and Christians minority groups human rights but quickly expanded to cover all minorities groups in Iraq, especially with the rise of the Islamic state in the region. They have seen the need to expand their goal for the safe guard of human rights for all. To help achieve this goal, they have worked closely with the CeaseFire Project. They have also expanded their reach within Iraq with this project. HHRO is able, with the CeaseFire Project, to help distant minority groups that live in a rural part of Iraq or in the middle of an army conflict.

U.S. Partners
HHRO has an active role in broadcasting the human rights violation on minority groups conducted by the terror group IS in Iraq. It has teamed up with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to help relay information about the ongoing situation. The U.S. government has been known to work with organization like HHRO and others to help understand and bring solution to the human rights violation in Iraq. With the help of organizations like HHRO that have boots on the ground, USAID has a better knowledge of the situation and thus, can have a more precise response to the human rights violation in Iraq.

Other Partners
HHRO is focus on the promotion and protection of human rights in Iraq. It is a regional organization. It has worked with the U.S. to help further their agenda since the U.S. was and still is a major player in Iraq. HHRO does not have many international partners. It has been to Jordan to promote their agenda but not to monitor the situation of refuge camps. HHRO has also worked with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

Awards
In 2013, United States Deputy Secretary of State William J. Burns gave the award of Human Rights Defenders to the Hammurabi Human Rights Organization stating that the groups demonstrated that effectiveness in advocacy for human rights, real achievement in protecting female prisoners, an important work in trying to improve religious freedom in Iraq. The group was praised that they not only defended human rights and reported on human rights abusive but they also tried to find solutions to the problem. It was stated that they are one of the few groups in Iraq that understand that if they want to see real change they have to work with the government and not only oppose it. The award was received by William Warda, Pascale Warda and 13 members of the organization that came from Iraq. This award is given every year to an NGO or activity that demonstrate exceptional work in advocating and playing a leadership role in the protection of human rights.