The secretary-general of the Iraqi Islamic Party Ayad al-Samarri expressed concern about torture practices in Iraqi prisons, which are resulting in the death of many detainees.
Sammari told Azzaman that the torture of detainees in Iraqi prisons has become a daily practice.
He added that some "wanted" men were detained by security forces only to be handed over dead to their families, after hours of detention, without giving further information about what happened to them being provided.
The secretary-general also criticized the position of Baghdad’s parliament, saying: The "parliament has not summoned any security official to investigate this torture and abuse taking place in prisons.
Although there were many complaints about this matter, the Ministry of Human Rights has yet [to] get involved."
Furthermore, Sammari stressed that the arrests that have been carried out were done on a political basis, adding that the prisoners’ cases have not been addressed in accordance with the legal framework.
He said that the conduct of the security services is even worse now than it was three years ago. Sammari also stressed that the use of torture to extract confession is a violation of the Iraqi constitution, which prohibits such practices.
He urged parliament to hold security officials responsible for torturing detainees.
When asked about the fact that some detainees have been handed over to their families dead, only hours after their arrest, Sammari said those responsible for such violations should be charged with murder.
He added that other detainees have also perished in prison due to the deterioration of conditions and the lack of private health provision there.
Moreover, some of detainees were suffering from serious diseases and were being held in prison for long periods of time without being treated or even charged with an offense, he said.
Sammari warned that these arrests will soon spark the anger of detainees’ families, especially given the shock that some parents have experienced after learning of their sons’ deaths, only a few hours after being arrested. This situation will lead to an act of revenge perpetrated by families against security officers, which we have been long warning against, he added.
Sammari said that after terrorist hotbeds in the country were destroyed, the state security services have been arresting those who helped eliminate terrorism in certain areas. This is due to the state’s over-reliance upon certain unreliable members.
Thus, the government ought to reconsider its practices against citizens, he argued.
According to Sammari, a sound relationship between the security services and citizens serves as the most important pillar of stability in any country. Should this relationship falter, citizens will resort to terrorism.
He said that this is a big mistake and that the relationship between the security services and citizens must be improved, he said. The last few days have seen the death of many detainees due to torture inside Iraqi prisons.
by Nidal Alliti
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