Iraq: Professor of Engineering Salih Al Dulaimi Sentenced to Death on the Basis of Confessions Under Torture

Professor of Engineering Salih Al Dulaimi Sentenced to Death on the Basis of Confessions Under Torture

On 12 May 2016, Salih Al Dulaimi, professor at the Electrical Engineering Department of the College of Engineering, University of Anbar, was sentenced to death on the basis of Iraq Antiterrorism Law by the Iraqi Central Criminal Court, the judge relying on statements Al Dulaimi made under heavy torture and alleged information provided by the US intelligence. As Al Dulaimi is clearly a victim of arbitrary detention, Alkarama and Al Wissam Humanitarian Assembly sent his case to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD), demanding the five UN experts to call upon the Iraqi authorities to immediately release him.

On 26 March 2015 at 9 pm, Al Dulaimi was arrested at Baghdad airport, upon his arrival from a travel abroad, by officers of the Iraqi Intelligence National Services. He was immediately brought to a detention centre situated in the same airport, where he was held for more than one year, the first three months completely prevented from having any access to the outside world.

Furthermore, Al Dulaimi reports having been subjected to torture for the entire duration of his detention, which was so severe that it caused him serious injuries such as torn ligaments and internal bleedings. Despite this, Al Dulaimi was not allowed to be visited by a doctor for more than one year. He reports that torture was particularly violent during his first week of detention and was even forced to sign a document containing his "confession" that he was not allowed to read.

On 11 August 2015, Al Dulaimi was formally accused by the Public Prosecutor of the Central Criminal Court of "belonging to an armed terrorist organisation" on the basis of Iraqi Antiterrorism Law.

On 12 May 2016, he was sentenced to death, the judge of the Central Criminal Court relying solely on documents he was obliged to sign under torture and alleged USA intelligence documents. No further evidence of these facts was ever provided. On the contrary, the judge called to testify two of his torturers that confirmed his confession. The judge also dismissed Al Dulaimi's claims of having been tortured, accusing him of having "self-inflicted" the wounds.

Al Dulaimi is still detained up until today in very poor conditions in the Tasferat prison near Al Shaab Stadium International in Baghdad, waiting for his appeal.

"Al Dulaimi's case is just an example of the pattern of violations committed by the Iraqi authorities under the pretext of the fight against terrorism, such as the 24 death sentences of alleged perpetrators of the Speicher base massacre pronounced after trials lasting only few minutes, the summary executions carried out during the battle to liberate Falluja or the recent Prime Minister's call for executions of 'terrorists' on death row," says Inès Osman, Legal Officer for the Mashreq at Alkarama. "The Iraqi authorities must be reminded of their obligation to respect fundamental human rights such as the right to life and the right not to be subjected to torture which are non derogable and must be protected even in times of conflict or in the fight against terrorism."

For more information or an interview, please contact the media team atmedia@alkarama.org (Tel: +41 22 734 1008).