Rome – The International Federation for Rights and Development (IFRD) stresses the need for a serious and effective investigation in Iraq of suspicions of secret government prisons in which hundreds are held in the background of widespread protests in the country, including journalists and a book.
The International Federation welcomes the decision of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi to form a high-level fact-finding committee on secret government prisons and to send inspection teams that are allowed to enter any security institution or building suspected of having a secret prison inside.
In this regard, it indicates that the widespread demonstrations in Iraq that started in early October were accompanied by almost weekly cases of kidnappings and assassinations by armed groups, targeting prominent journalists and activists criticizing the government performance.
According to a statistic prepared by the Association for the Defense of Freedom of the Press in Iraq on the extent of violations against journalists in the first four months of the outbreak of the demonstrations, 15 journalists and writers were kidnapped and arrested in mysterious circumstances.
Among them is this journalist Tawfiq Al-Tamimi, who was kidnapped by unknown persons last March 9 in neighborhood east of the capital, Baghdad, days after his solidarity with the writer and journalist Mazen Latif, who was kidnapped without a trace since February 1.
International Federation affirms that the new government in Iraq is called upon to respond to the demands of the popular demonstrations that the country has been witnessing for several months regarding freedom of opinion and expression, fighting corruption, and tackling economic decline.
It also stresses the responsibility of the Al-Kazemi government to take concrete steps to ensure accountability for human rights violations, including the killing, targeting and kidnapping of peaceful demonstrators in different regions of Iraq.
The International Federation for Rights and Development (IFRD) calls for prioritizing the release of detainees against the background of opinion and revealing the fate of dozens of missing persons, including journalists and bloggers, at the head of its tasks as a way to promote the path of justice and respect for human rights.
