Iraq: Another Enforced Disappearance by Military Forces in the Babil Governorate
On 27 July 2014, Alkarama, in cooperation with Al Wissam Humanitarian Assembly, sent an urgent action to the United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) regarding the case of Ammar Al Dulaimi, a 32-year-old Iraqi citizen who disappeared in Hillah in the Babil Governorate following his arrest by the military forces in July 2014.
Al Dulaimi, a married 32-year-old mobile shop owner, was arrested in front of his wife at his house in Hillah – a city 100 km south of Baghdad – on 13 June 2014 at night by a group of 10 men wearing military uniforms and civilian clothing. After arresting the victim, the members of the military forces handcuffed and blindfolded him before dragging him into a Hammer pickup truck. Al Dulaimi was taken to an unknown location and remains disappeared since. The forces also took two mobile phones from the victim's house.
After his arrest and subsequent disappearance, Al Dulaimi's family went to the Ministry of Interior to inquire on his whereabouts, to no avail.
Left with no avenue, the family then appealed to Al Wissam Humanitarian Assembly and Alkarama, who, having established this case as an enforced disappearance, brought it to the attention of the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearance (CED). The Committee will intervene on his behalf with the Iraqi authorities, calling upon them to release him immediately, or at the very least to disclose his whereabouts and allow his family to visit him without restriction.
In view of the facts, Alkarama urges Iraq, as one of the few States in the region to be a party to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (ICPPED) – binding upon Iraq by virtue of its accession in November 2010 – to live up to its commitments and take all necessary measures to put an end to the widespread and systematic practice of enforced disappearance, in particular by:
• Taking the necessary legal measures to ensure that enforced disappearance is criminalised under Iraqi law and that the penalties provided reflect their grave nature;
• Ensuring that all cases of disappearances are thoroughly, promptly and effectively investigated, and that those responsible are prosecuted;
• Adopting measures to clarify the fate and whereabouts of all victims and ensure that any individual who has suffered as a result of the disappearance is entitled to redress;
• Explicitly prohibiting secret and incommunicado detention and taking the necessary measures to ensure that all secret detention facilities are closed;
• Allowing unexpected independent inspection of all places of detention.
For more information or an interview, please contact the media team at media@alkarama.org (Dir: +41 22 734 1008)