MOSUL TIME RADIO
Yesterday , Saturday, the AFAD Observatory, which specializes in human rights , issued a statement about the mass executions carried out by the Iraqi authorities, indicating that they included prisoners who “confessed under torture,” while confirming the existence of an accelerated movement of executions, including some elderly people, and others carried out in “horrific” ways, holding the President of the Republic, Abdul Latif Rashid, responsible .
The center said in a report that the Iraqi authorities carried out one of the largest executions in the country since 2003, as no less than 50 detainees were handed over to their families during the month of September, after they were executed by hanging in the Nasiriyah Central Prison in the south of the country .
Investigations conducted by the AFAD Observatory, according to the statement, revealed that the Nasiriyah prison administration carried out four mass executions throughout the month of September, the most prominent of which was on the 24th of the month, when 21 detainees were taken out of the prison halls at dawn and death sentences were carried out against them. The statement indicated that the prison administration carried out the executions of the detainees in their pajamas, without allowing them to pray or write wills or letters to their families, as they were suddenly dragged to the special unit where the execution platforms were located. Six detainees were lifted up each time and hanged, with sectarian comments of abuse sometimes .
The Observatory quoted an employee in Nasiriyah prison, who spoke by phone, as saying that the detainees who were executed were handed over to their families the next day by the Forensic Medicine Department, and their families were informed to bring a blanket with them, in addition to paying a fee to obtain a death certificate .
The investigations also showed, according to the report, that President Abdul Latif Rashid signed off on the execution of the detainees based on recommendations and political pressures from sectarian groups inside Baghdad, some of which were from armed factions, despite the existence of evidence and petitions submitted by the detainees confirming that they were subjected to torture and information was extracted under duress, and that they signed pre-written papers .
The Observatory pointed out that the majority of the victims were from the provinces of Salah al-Din, Diyala, Anbar, Baghdad, Nineveh and Babylon, and that some of those executed had sentences issued against them dating back to the era of Nouri al-Maliki’s government, which was known for its vengeful and sectarian nature at the time .
AFAD Observatory information indicates that among those executed was a 68-year-old detainee named Mohsen Adhab Ajil from Tikrit, who had 6 daughters. The detainee’s family submitted medical reports and statements confirming that he was subjected to various types of torture, and that he signed papers and an investigation report without reading them, but the President of the Republic signed the execution of the death sentence issued against him. Our own reports also confirm that a detainee was subjected to horrific torture before his execution, as he was lifted up and the rope was placed around his neck incorrectly, which led to him hanging for a few minutes before he breathed his last. His body, which was later received by his family, appeared healthy .
In addition, the report says, prison staff continue to use psychological torture by pulling some detainees out and telling them they are going to be executed, then leaving them for a while before returning them to the halls, which has led to many of them fainting and going without food in an inhumane act that has not been recorded in any country in the world. September was a new black month in the human rights file, disregard for citizens’ lives, and abuse and discrimination on a sectarian basis .
The AFAD Observatory held President Abdel Latif Rashid responsible for what it described as a massacre that led to the deaths of no less than 50 detainees, ignoring requests to investigate confessions made by detainees under torture, or in a tense and sectarian trial atmosphere, or exaggerated sentences. Rashid’s presidency was full of executions of dozens of people whose sentences he signed, ignoring calls in this regard from international human rights and humanitarian organizations and other specialized local organizations that confirmed the existence of dozens of innocent people whom Rashid has signed off on their executions since he assumed office more than two years ago .
AFAD Observatory called on international organizations and bodies to stand against the secret executions carried out by the Iraqi authorities, exploiting international and regional events to carry out the executions issued against detainees, which did not attain the final degree or obtain real evidence .
“AFAD” is an observatory specialized in monitoring the humanitarian and human rights situation in Iraq, and provides reports on the political and social conditions. It recently indicated that more than 1.1 million Iraqis are still displaced from their areas.
