Thursday 9 June 2011

Amnesty International: four activists remain detained in Iraq

Amnesty International 
URGENT ACTION
four activists remain detained in Iraq

The seven remaining activists from the Ayna Haqqi NGO that had been detained in Baghdad on 28 May have been released. However four activists that were detained during protests on 27 May remain in detention.
On 28 May, Iraqi security forces detained at least 11 activists from the headquarters of Ayna Haqqi (“Where is my right”), a local NGO. Four of those arrested were released the day after but the other seven continued to be detained. On 3 June the activists that remained in detention were released. Sources in Iraq say they are in good health and that they have been released without charges, although Amnesty International has not been able to verify this.
Four other activists who were detained on 27 May, Ahmed Alaa al Baghdadi, Jihad Jalil Ibrahim, Muayyad Faisal al-Tayeb and Ali Abdul Khaliq al Jaf, remain in detention and still have not seen their families or lawyers, however sources in Baghdad have confirmed that visits by family and lawyers should be allowed from 11 June.
The four men, aged between 19 and 29, were arrested in Baghdad on 27 May just before a planned demonstration.  They had previously called for and participated in peaceful demonstrations in protest against deteriorating economic and other living conditions in Iraq. They are accused of possessing false ID cards. However, Amnesty International is concerned that their arrests and detention may be directly linked to their involvement in peaceful protests involving the legitimate exercise of their rights to freedom of expression and assembly.

No comments: