International Center for Transitional Justice IRAQ A Bitter Legacy: Lessons of De-Baathifi cation in Iraq Miranda Sissons and Abdulrazzaq Al-Saiedi March 2013 Cover: Baath Party membership card. International Center for Transitional Justice IRAQ A Bitter Legacy: Lessons of De-Baathifi cation in Iraq Miranda Sissons and Abdulrazzaq Al-Saiedi March 2013 International Center A Bitter Legacy: Lessons of de-Baathifi cation in Iraq for Transitional Justice Acknowledgements The authors wish to acknowledge the vital contributions of Tha’ir al-Da’mi, Serge Rumin, and Alexander Mayer-Riekh. We particularly wish to thank the many Iraqi offi cials, parliamentarians, judges, and others whom we interviewed between 2006 and 2011, including many members of the Higher National de-Baathifi cation Commission. Many of our interlocutors died, fl ed, or suff ered other serious harms during the period of research. We remember you all. About the Author This report was written by Miranda Sissons, former chief of staff at ICTJ, and Abdulrazzaq Al-Saiedi, an ICTJ consultant. The report also benefi ted from a signifi cantly earlier version developed by Miranda Sissons and ICTJ consultant Dr Eric Scheye. About ICTJ The International Center for Transitional Justice is an international nonprofi t organization specializing in the fi eld of transitional justice. ICTJ works to help societies in transition address legacies of massive human rights violations and to build civic trust in state institutions as protectors of human rights. In the aftermath of mass atrocity and repression, we assist institutions and civil society groups—the people who are driving and shaping change in their societies—in considering measures to provide truth, accountability, and redress for past abuses. We do this by providing technical expertise and knowledge of relevant comparative experiences in transitional justice from across the globe. © 2013 International Center for Transitional Justice. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without full attribution. International Center A Bitter Legacy: Lessons of de-Baathifi cation in Iraq for Transitional Justice CONTENTS 1. Executive Summary ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................1 2. Iraq’s Baath Party – Basic Facts ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Party Structure and Organization ................................................................................................4 Early Decades, 1968–1988 .......................................................................................................4 Requirements Ease, 1988–2003 ................................................................................................4 Structure ...................................................................................................................................5 Membership Numbers ..............................................................................................................6 Levels of Membership ...............................................................................................................6 3. Implementing De-Baathifi cation.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Phase I: 2002 to 2005 ...................................................................................................................9 Establishing the De-Baathifi cation Process ..............................................................................10 CPA Order 1: Cleansing the Civil Service ...............................................................................11 CPA Order 2: Disbanding the Military, Security, and Other Organizations ............................11 Iraqis Take Charge ..................................................................................................................12 Creation of the Enduring Framework .....................................................................................12 First Opposition, 2004–2005 .................................................................................................13 Phase II: Struggles, 2005–2008 ..................................................................................................14 New Government, New Constitution .....................................................................................14 Th e Constitution ....................................................................................................................15 Th e 2005 Elections .................................................................................................................15 Th e Iraqi High Tribunal, 2005–2006 ......................................................................................16 Th e Maliki Government, 2006–2008 .....................................................................................17 Phase III: Th e Old Becomes New, 2008–2012 ...........................................................................18 About the Accountability and Justice Commission .................................................................18 New Law, Old Struggle ...........................................................................................................19 Election Maneuvering, 2010 ...................................................................................................19 Leadership Finally Changes ....................................................................................................20 Numbers and Trends ...................................................................................................................21 Dismissals, 2003–2006 ...........................................................................................................21 Th e Change from Dismissals to Reinstatements, 2006–2012 ..................................................23 4. Case Study: The Ministy of Finance, 2003–2006....................................................................................................................................................................25 Institutional Context ..............................................................................................................25 Patterns of Membership and Dismissals ..................................................................................26 Looking Th rough an Individual Lens: Due Process Issues ......................................................27 Reinstatement .........................................................................................................................28 Exemptions .............................................................................................................................28 Retirement ..............................................................................................................................28 Looking Th rough a Larger Lens: Th e Relationship Between HNDC and MOF ......................29 Impact on Capacity and the Focus on Senior Bureaucrats .......................................................30 5. Lessons for Policy Makers ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................31 Lesson One: Design a Vetting Program, Not a Purge ..............................................................31 www.ictj.org International Center A Bitter Legacy: Lessons of de-Baathifi cation in Iraq for Transitional Justice Lesson Two: Know Your Target ...............................................................................................32 Lesson Th ree: Set Clear, Realistic Objectives ...........................................................................33 Lesson Four: Don’t Create a Monster ......................................................................................33 Lesson Five: Consult and Educate ...........................................................................................35 Lesson Six: Look to the Future ................................................................................................36 Lesson Seven: Observe Basic Standards of Fairness ..................................................................36 Appendix: Key Questions to Ask When Designing a Vetting Program ......................................................................................................39 Bibliography ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................