AI: Palestinians tortured, killed in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- Violence in Iraq is causing Palestinian refugees to be tortured, killed or forced to live in dilapidated refugee camps, Amnesty International said.

Malcolm Smart, director of Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Program, said in a news release that Palestinians have become notable targets in Iraq since the 2003 invasion.

“Palestinians are currently one of the most vulnerable groups in Iraq. They are being hunted down, abducted, tortured and, in some cases, killed without any effective steps being taken to protect them," he said.

Unlike other refugees seeking asylum in Syria and Jordan, Palestinians are being refused entry by those nations, Smart said.

Amnesty International is asking Syria and Jordan to grant Palestinians entry in the future, and is calling on the international community to take action to aid them.