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Amnesty International - Iraq: Broken Bodies, Tortured Minds: Abuse and Neglect of Detainees in Iraq
Amnesty International - Iraq: Broken Bodies, Tortured Minds: Abuse and Neglect of Detainees in Iraq
Amnesty International - Iraq: Broken Bodies, Tortured Minds: Abuse and Neglect of Detainees in Iraq
TORTURED MINDS
ABUSE AND NEGLECT OF
DETAINEES IN IRAQ
©
2 BROKEN BODIES, TORTURED MINDS
ABUSE AND NEGLECT OF DETAINEES IN IRAQ
Samar Sa’ad ‘Abdullah, aged 27, says she people arbitrarily, without charge or trial,
was beaten on the soles of her feet – a form for months or even years. Many were held
of torture known as falaqa – and given incommunicado and without access to
electric shocks to force her to “confess” lawyers, leaving them vulnerable to torture
to killing her uncle and his family for and other ill-treatment. Some were held in
money. Based on her “confession”, she secret detention centres – unacknowledged
was sentenced to death in 2005 and her places of detention outside the prison system
sentence was confirmed in 2007. The judge – where torture and other ill-treatment were
failed to order an investigation into her rife. One such facility was at the old
torture allegations. She says that her fiancé Muthanna airport in Baghdad, from which
carried out the killings; he is still being 95 traumatized detainees were released in
sought by the authorities. She is now in April 2010 by the Iraqi authorities, while the
al-Kadhimiya Prison and, according to her rest were moved to al-Rusafa prison.
father, suffering from depression, diabetes
and high blood pressure. Amnesty International has collected
numerous testimonies about torture and
Torture and other ill-treatment have been other abuses from detainees, former
systematic in Iraq since 1979 when detainees and relatives of detainees. Since
Saddam Hussain became President. After 2008 it has visited the Kurdistan region of
the US-led invasion in 2003, which toppled Iraq several times to carry out research on
him and his government, and in response human rights, but has been unable to visit
to violence by armed groups, coalition and other parts of the country because of the
Iraqi forces detained tens of thousands of perilous security situation.
© Amnesty International
“We [father and son] were
BACkGROUND
tortured in the same manner:
suspension from a bed upside- Almost eight years since the March 2003 access to lawyers and with no opportunity
down, suffocation by putting US-led invasion, Iraq remains one of the most to challenge the legality of their detention
dangerous countries in the world. Violence before an independent tribunal. They have
plastic bags on our heads, has continued unabated and serious human tortured detainees to force them to “confess”
beatings, use of electric shocks rights abuses have been committed by all and subjected them to grossly unfair trials.
sides, some amounting to war crimes. The death penalty has been used extensively;
on various parts of the body. up to 1,300 prisoners are on death row.
The suspension is for about 30 Armed groups have killed thousands of
minutes... I was tortured three civilians, including members of ethnic and The new Iraqi government, finally formed in
religious minorities, in suicide bomb and December 2010 after elections nine months
times. They used electric shocks other attacks. They have also kidnapped, earlier, faces enormous challenges in the face
on me twice. I was beaten tortured and then killed many others. of continuing violence, a ruined infrastructure,
widespread poverty and an ailing economy.
several times. After that I
Iraqi and US forces have detained tens of Among those challenges is ensuring that
confessed. I confessed to things thousands of people without charge or trial, prisoners are kept safe and well.
I never knew what they were.” some for up to seven years, often without
© Amnesty International
blindfolded and bound, and
beaten with industrial cable
and pieces of wood in order
to extract a confession.”
Extract from a US military document released by Wikileaks,
describing an incident of torture by the Iraqi security forces
Amnesty Interntaional has built up a grim offence. All these detainees are at grave
picture of widespread abuse of detainees risk of enforced disappearance, torture or
committed with impunity – a picture other ill-treatment.
reinforced by the thousands of previously
unavailable US government documents In recent years, the Iraqi authorities have
released in October 2010 by the announced investigations into some high-
organization Wikileaks. profile cases of alleged torture, but the
outcomes of these investigations, if they
In early 2009, as US forces began took place, have not been disclosed and
transferring detainees they had arrested the perpetrators have not been brought to
and held to the custody of Iraqi authorities, justice. This has served only to deepen the
Amnesty International and other human culture of impunity.
rights organizations warned that these
prisoners would be at grave risk of torture
in Iraqi-run prisons if rigorous safeguards USE OF TORTURE “…That night [the sergeant]
were not implemented. The US government Iraqi security forces use torture and other heard whipping noises walking
ignored these warnings and no effective ill-treatment to extract “confessions” when
human rights guarantees were put in place. detainees are held incommunicado, through the hallway and opened
especially in detention facilities – some secret a door to find [one lieutenant]
An estimated 30,000 men and women – controlled by the Ministries of Interior and
with a 4 gauge electrical cable,
remain in custody despite the release of Defence. The Central Criminal Court of Iraq
hundreds of detainees and a 2008 amnesty (CCCI), which sits in Baghdad and other whipping the bottom of a
law that provides for the release, in most provinces, often convicts defendants on the detainee's feet. Later that
cases, of detainees held without trial after basis of these “confessions”, despite clear
evidence of torture in many cases.
night, [a sergeant] caught [one]
The Iraqi Council of Representatives lieutenant whipping a detainee
(parliament) passed a law in 2008 ratifying the The Iraqi Human Rights Ministry stated in its across his back with an
UN Convention against Torture, but to date the 2009 annual report that it had recorded 509
Iraqi government has yet to deposit the relevant allegations of torture by Iraqi security forces. electrical cable….”
papers with the UN. There is no indication that Amnesty International believes that this Extract from a 2006 US military document released by
the government intends to ratify the Optional disturbingly high number is actually a gross Wikileaks, describing an incident of torture by the Iraqi police
Protocol to the Convention against Torture, underestimate of the scale of the abuse.
which calls for the establishment of a national asphyxiation with plastic bags, removal of
preventive mechanism and openness to Accounts of torture reported to Amnesty toenails with pliers, and breaking of limbs.
regular visits by national and international International over the years include rape Children, women and men have all suffered
bodies to detention centres. and threat of rape, beatings with cables and these abuses.
hosepipes, electric shocks, suspension by
six or 12 months, depending on the alleged the limbs, piercing the body with drills,
In June 2009, a human rights body affiliated IMpAcT ON vIcTIMS AND ThEIR depression, anxiety and memory loss. Many
to al-Diwaniya governorate in southern Iraq FAMIlIES of the detainees interviewed by Amnesty
accused the security forces of torturing The impact of torture on the health of victims International are not receiving psychological
detainees to extract “confessions”. Ministry extends beyond the immediate feeling of pain support for the torture they endured.
of Interior investigators subsequently reported or fear. Longer-term consequences include
that 10 of the 170 prisoners at al-Diwaniya chronic infections, psychological problems, Torture also affects families of detainees.
prison had bruising that could have been disfigurement, scarring, damage to internal According to the International Rehabilitation
caused by torture or other ill-treatment. Video organs, broken bones, and nerve damage. Council for Torture Victims, children are
footage apparently taken by a prison guard particularly vulnerable. They can suffer
and later circulated on the internet showed Among former Iraqi detainees who feelings of guilt and personal responsibility
a prisoner lying with his hands tied behind described to Amnesty International how for what has happened to their tortured
his back being whipped by guards and given torture had ravaged his life permanently parent. Family members also experience
electric shocks until he passed out. One was Riyad. The abuses he suffered anxiety and a sense of loss. Many
guard is heard to say, “He is done”. seriously damaged his liver, so he needs psychologists believe that family members
costly and specialized medical care, would benefit from therapy along with the
US government documents made available probably including a liver transplant and survivor of torture.
by Wikileaks describe how detainees were life-long medications and monitoring.
forced to “confess” under torture to
“terrorism”, killings, assault or even selling Most torture victims have long-term
drugs. One document describes how psychological issues to deal with. A
Iraqi forces beat and kicked two detainees common consequence of torture is
for allegedly drinking wine and trying to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),
steal bananas. including flashbacks, nightmares,
SExUAl vIOlENcE
© Jenny Matthews
In Iraq, rape or threat of rape of detainees
or their loved ones has been widely alleged.
Sexual assault shares with other forms of
torture the objective of inflicting suffering,
humiliation and degradation. It is also used
to force “confessions”, extract information
or punish detainees.
OvERcROwDINg AND pOOR “If someone is eight years in carry only 20 people each. They were
pRISON cONDITIONS prison without a trial and then transferred from Camp Taji to al-Rusafa
Overcrowding is a serious problem in most Prison, at least an hour away by vehicle.
Iraqi prisons and many detainees suffer
another 15 years after the trial, The vans had no windows or ventilation.
health problems as a result. According to what type of psychological When they arrived at the prison, 22
the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq
condition do you expect that detainees had collapsed. Seven died in
(UNAMI), one prison was so overcrowded hospital as a result of asphyxiation.
in 2008 that detainees had to sleep in shifts person to be in?'
and hang their belongings from a wall to Wife of a detainee, speaking to Amnesty International in The problems for Iraq’s detainees caused
save space. June 2010 by poor prison conditions are compounded
Overcrowding in detention centres facilitates and humiliation experienced by prisoners The UN Standard Minimum Rules for the
the spread of diseases and stretches the who are forced to use the toilet and bathroom Treatment of Prisoners and the UN Body of
ability of staff to meet the needs of in public can cause great distress. Many Principles for the Protection of All Persons
detainees. Shortages of clean water and detainees in Iraq have been kept in such under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment
adequate sanitation facilities can lead conditions for many years without charge or require states to provide medical services,
to diarrhoeal diseases. Cramped spaces trial, adding to their torment. hygienic facilities, room for exercise and
and poor ventilation can lead to the spread acceptable accommodation and nutrition for
of respiratory infections and skin diseases. On 12 May 2010, nearly 100 detainees those in their custody.
In addition, the anxiety, sleep deprivation were crammed into two vans designed to
© Private
© Private
Left: A prisoner washes in the dilapidated DEAThS IN cUSTODy
bathroom in the detention facility at the US-run Dozens of detainees have died as a result
Forward Operating Base Justice in Baghdad’s of torture or other ill-treatment since 2004.
Khadhimiya neighbourhood, 23 July 2007 Death certificates often fail to mention the
Above: Marks apparently caused by torture on medical evidence of torture and frequently
the body of ‘Adnan ’Awad al-Jumaili, who died attribute deaths to “heart failure” or “heart
in Iraqi custody in May 2007 attack” without any pathological finding
to justify this diagnosis. Human rights
organizations have reported that evidence
of torture, such as marks of beatings and
by a lack of adequate medical care, burns, have been found on detainees’ bodies.
treatment and medicines. Often, families
of detainees feel they must buy medicine Some detainees have died because of the
they can ill afford and take it to the prison. lack of health care. For example, Ibrahim
Some have complained that prison guards ‘Abdel-Sattar, a former senior army officer
take the medicine from families, promising in the previous Ba’ath administration, died in
that they will pass it on to detainees, and al-Kadhimiya prison on 29 October 2010.
sometimes then confiscate it. He had allegedly been denied treatment
“They took two of us to a for stomach cancer until he was taken to
stadium of the army in Mosul Pressure on the government to provide al-Karkh hospital the day before he died.
medical care has produced results. From
where underneath one of the at least mid-2010, Amnesty International Often, families are not informed until weeks
stands was a secret detention and the Belgian Embassy in Jordan after their loved one had died, in some
facility. It was a small room and appealed to the Iraqi authorities to provide cases after the body has been buried.
urgently needed medical care to Oussama
they put us in there. All in all ‘Attar, a Belgian national. Within months he ‘Adnan ’Awad al-Jumaili died in Iraqi
we were 69 detainees in that was reported to be receiving the treatment custody in May 2007 apparently after
he needed. he had been beaten. Three Iraqi
room. [After they moved us to physicians who carried out an autopsy
another prison] they put us in Principle 24 of the UN Body of Principles found extensive bruising; internal bleeding
small rooms; 25 detainees makes clear that a proper medical in the brain, neck and abdomen; and
examination must be offered as soon as damage to his lungs. Photographs
per room. The rooms did not possible after someone has been detained or obtained by Amnesty International
have windows. The rooms were imprisoned, and afterwards medical care and show extensive bruising on the back
treatment must be provided whenever and lacerations around the wrists. The
5 x 4 metres.”
necessary. This care and treatment should be body was not returned to his family;
An Iraqi detainee, speaking to Amnesty International in provided free of charge. it was reported to have been buried by
May 2010
the authorities in the city of Najaf.
Amnesty International is a global movement of 2.8 million supporters, Index: MDE 14/001/2011
English
members and activists in more than 150 countries and territories who
campaign to end grave abuses of human rights. February 2011
Amnesty International
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