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Against Returnees from Syria.. "Amnesty International" Reveals Horrific Violations in Iraqi Center
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The pattern of violations at Al-Jadaa center reflects a repeated methodology used by Iraqi authorities to extract forced confessions from detainees returning from Al-Hol camp in northern Syria
Amnesty International documented in an extensive investigation systematic practices of torture and degrading treatment at Al-Jadaa Community Rehabilitation Center in northern Iraq.
The human rights organization began documenting cases of eight detainees, including one woman and seven men, who were detained at the center during 2023 and 2024, where seven of them were subjected to various forms of torture.
The interviewed detainees explained that torture methods varied between electric shocks, forced painful physical positions, water immersion, and covering heads with plastic bags to prevent breathing, while detainees' families confirmed seeing clear signs of torture on their relatives' bodies.
Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International's Secretary General, stated: "The torture and other ill-treatment endured by detainees at Al-Jadaa center is horrifying. It must be stopped and investigated immediately."
Callamard added: "Iraqi authorities and the UN have agreed to return tens of thousands of Iraqis to Al-Jadaa center from Al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria in the coming years. It is unacceptable for Iraqis to flee war and detention for a decade, only to find more horrors awaiting them."
Center statistics revealed the detention of 2,223 people until September 2024, including 1,318 children, 627 women, and 278 men, while it is managed by the Iraqi Ministry of Migration and Displacement with support from UN organizations.
The report highlighted the testimony of Mariam, who was detained in 2024 and subjected to electric shocks, beating, and sexual harassment during interrogation, while Mustafa's wife recounted seeing her husband with broken teeth and shattered ribs after his interrogation.
The report stated that six of the eight detainees were subjected to forced disappearance for periods ranging from two weeks to three months, during which authorities refused to disclose their detention locations.
The human rights organization called on Iraqi authorities to immediately stop torture and forced disappearance practices, and retry those convicted based on confessions extracted under torture. It also demanded the UN conduct thorough investigations into the treatment received by detainees at the center.
Levant-Amnesty International
