HRW: Iraq detains thousands in ‘degrading’ conditions 

Thousands of prisoners, including women and children, are detained in “inhuman” extremely overcrowded detention facilities in Iraq, Human Rights Watch warned yesterday.

Most of detainees are held on terrorism charges, the rights watchdog said in a statement published on its official website.

It called on the authorities to ensure that “prisoners are not held in inhuman conditions and that there is a clear legal basis for detentions.”

“The Iraqi government urgently needs to rebuild and rehabilitate its detention facilities. Iraq has a duty to ensure that detainees are housed decently, in line with international standards,” said Lama Fakih, acting Middle East director at HRW.

HRW said that there is extreme overcrowding in three pretrial detention facilities in northern Iraq’s Nineveh province, Tal Kayf, Al Faisaliah and Tasfirat, where prisoners are held mostly on terrorism charges.

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The three centres have a combined maximum capacity of 2,500 people and by 30 June were holding about 4,500 detainees.

“Of them, 1300 prisoners have been tried and convicted and should have been transferred to prisons in Baghdad. Some of them have been convicted six months ago.”

“There is not enough room for detainees to lie in their cells, or even sit comfortably,” the organisation quoted Fekih as saying.

The organisation said it had also documented deaths in custody in Nineveh.

It called on the ministries of interior and justice, “as a matter of urgent priority, to improve conditions and speed up investigations, ensuring that every person in pre-trial detention has a speedy and fair trial or otherwise, be released.”

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“Children alleged to have committed unlawful acts should be treated in accordance with international standards for juvenile justice, and the authorities should release all children who have not been formally charged.”

On his part, Nineveh Provincial Council’s President, Saido Jato, denied any violations in the province’s prisons, although he affirmed that there is an issue with overcrowding.

“The status of Nineveh’s prisons is contrary to Human Rights Watch’s report. Medicines and food are available, and the conditions of the imprisoned children and women are non-derogatory, and can be described as normal conditions for prisoners,” Jato told Anadolu Agency.

“Nineveh’s prisons cannot accommodate the number of detainees, so it is difficult to provide the required beds because of the lack of space given the increasing number of detainees.”