Iraq is occupied.

TunisiaHope Official TV scare tactics, leader's surrealists comments, demonstrators killings Iraq is still an arab dictature AND is occupied. feb25

In June 2004, the Iraqi Interim Government reasserted Iraq's sovereignty and assumed full responsibility and authority in guiding Iraq from being an occupied country to an emerging democracy.

Under certain limited circumstances, protected persons detained in occupied territory may forfeit their rights of communication in accordance with article 5, second paragraph, of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Under the Fourth Geneva Convention, the responsibility for protecting civilian populations in an occupied country belongs to the occupying forces, which, in this case, are clearly failing to protect Iraqi women.

The Tribunal's reasoning arguably would also apply to civilians detained or interned in occupied territory under article 78 of the Fourth Convention.

Indeed, the conflict would become, if one can use the expression, more normal no longer between an occupying power and an occupied people, but between two countries, two states, that disagree about a lot of issues, including borders, mutual relations, and control over populations.