Beatings, electric shocks and stress positions all commonplace
What is happening in Al-Jed’ah Centre?
Iraqis returned from Al-Hol detention camp in north-east Syria
Authorities must act now before thousands more face similar violations
- Amnesty International documented the cases of eight people, including seven men and one woman, who were arrested in Al-Jed’ah Centre
- Those arrested faced torture and other ill-treatment such as severe beatings, electric shocks, stress positions
- Families observed obvious effects of torture on their relatives like broken fingers and dislocated shoulders
Why is this important?
- Many Iraqis have been transferred from Al-Hol detention camp in north-east Syria to Al-Jed’ah Centre
- Since 2021, an estimated 9,500 people have been returned to Iraq from Al-Hol
- Authorities are considering scaling up the return of Iraqis in Al-Hol to more than 18,000 individuals
“The torture and other ill-treatment suffered by those arrested in Al-Jed’ah Centre is horrifying. It must be stopped and investigated immediately,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.
Amnesty International’s Findings
What did Amnesty International discover?
- Amnesty International conducted interviews with individuals arrested in Al-Jed’ah Centre and their family members
- Those interviewed faced torture and ill-treatment during interrogations by Iraqi security forces
- Patters of violations similar to those documented earlier this year by Amnesty International
What is the current situation?
- Al-Jed’ah Centre holds 2,223 people, including 1,318 children, 627 women and 278 men
- Most arrests in the centre are made on IS affiliation charges by Iraqi security forces
- Men, women and children have been arrested in Al-Jed’ah Centre
A woman in the Al-Jed’ah Centre in May 2022.
What are the conditions in the centre?
Inhumane prison conditions
- All eight individuals were charged under Iraq’s 2005 Anti-Terrorism Law
- Five individuals sentenced to life in prison, one to 15 years
- Detainees face inhumane conditions and mistreatment in Nasiriyah and Babel Central Prisons
Amnesty International is calling on the Iraqi authorities to immediately end the use of torture and ill-treatment and conduct re-trials for all those convicted based on torture-tainted confessions. The UN should investigate further.
Source: www.amnesty.org