Iraqi Lawyer exposes disturbing prisoner abuse: forced organ sales and torture uncovered

BAGHDAD — In the wake of a surge in executions and fatalities within Iraqi prisons, Iraqi lawyer Qamar al-Samarrai has brought to light harrowing details of the extensive torture endured by prisoners, shedding light on the mysterious deaths of a considerable number of inmates.

Al-Samarrai, in a series of press statements, disclosed the grave violations and “terrifying acts” transpiring within Hout Prison in Nasiriyah and Taji Prison in Baghdad. Shockingly, he revealed instances where prisoners had their teeth forcibly extracted and were compelled to sell their organs to cover legal fees.

Highlighting the distressing conditions, al-Samarrai noted the persistent denial of prisoners’ requests for medical examinations by a competent committee. He decried the use of disturbing investigative methods and the imprisonment of individuals solely based on confessions, lacking evidence of their alleged crimes.

The Iraqi Scholars’ Commission expressed deep concern over Iraq witnessing the execution of over 8,000 prisoners in the past two decades. The commission attributed this alarming trend to successive governments pursuing political gains fueled by revenge.

The commission’s report indicated that Iraq currently detains 140,000 individuals, marking the country with the highest number of prisoners. It emphasized the absence of basic justice standards in trials, where forced confessions extracted under torture are often relied upon. The report further underscored a significant upswing in deaths within Iraqi prisons, particularly over the past year.