CPTnet
December 9, 2003
IRAQ: Testimony of a father whose son is an unregistered prisoner

[The following is part of CPT Iraq's Campaign to Ensure Justice for Iraqi
Detainees. Please refer to the Campaign posted on CPTnet November 19, 2003
for ways to help. A new Campaign appeal will appear on CPTnet in the near
future.

This testimony has been edited for length. People wishing to see the full
document may send their request to guest.445947@MennoLink.org.]

This testimony was recorded in November by CPT Iraq workers Le Anne Clausen
and Allan Slater at a local Iraqi human rights organization. CPT has made
two follow-up visits with the family:

"I have searched the hospitals, the morgues, the human rights agencies, the
forensic institutes. I have even started digging the ground around the
graves of the dead, in search of my son.

"My son is 21 years old. He was an office worker in the agricultural
department of the President's Bureau. On April 5th, he reported to work as
was his duty. He never returned.

"One day by chance, I picked up a video CD of news clips from the war. I
saw the battle which took place in the neighborhood where my son's office
was, and I saw him being led out of his office with eight colleagues. I
recognized him by the clothes he was wearing. The US soldiers had put sacks
over each of their heads and made them walk in a chain with each person's
hands on the next person's shoulders. I saw the number on the vehicle of
the Marine unit which invaded his office. My son had no relation to the
Ba'ath party, or any other political parties . . .

"I went to Um Qasr prison camp [eight hours south of Baghdad] to look for my
son. I wasn't allowed in either time . . .There are many, many prison camps
for the Coalition. I can't count them all. Some of them are in Qatar.
Others are on the border of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. No one is allowed in
these camps, and you can only find out they exist through underground media
networks . . .

"I went to the Iraqi Assistance Center asking for information about my son.
They told me, 'We only have the names of detainees taken after May 1st. For
others, we cannot assist you.'

"I met a BBC reporter who took an interest in my son's story, and he went to
ask Paul Bremer where my son was. Bremer said, 'Go to the Iraqi Governing
Council, and they will tell you where he is.' So the reporter went to the
IGC, and they gave him no help at all. Then the BBC reporter lost interest
and didn't do anything else to help me.

"I did my best to find my son, but I didn't succeed. I can't go inside
these camps to find my son. I am hopeless. I have no advocate besides my
God and you."

---------------
CPT has recorded corroborating testimonies from released prisoners that a
large number of Iraqi detainees held in the Coalition prison camps are not
registered. Their families have no means of finding out where they are.
Released prisoners often pass on messages to families from unregistered
prisoners. However, even if a family finds out their relative is imprisoned
in a particular camp, without proper registration numbers, the family has no
hope of visiting the relative in prison. The Geneva Conventions specify
that all detainees under war or occupation must be registered, and that this
registration process may not be delayed for any reason for more than a
matter of days. Under the Conventions, the Occupying Power (Coalition
Forces) also has ultimate responsibility for ensuring the families of
detainees are notified as to their detention status and well-being.