SCORES of people detained in Iraqi Kurdistan are being held illegally, suffering torture and having confessions extracted by force, according to a report published today.
Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor found that some 26 detainees arrested in the regional capital Erbil by the Parastin intelligence services, linked to the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), had suffered physical and psychological torture.
Civil activist Ayhan Saeed, brother of Shafan Saeed, a teacher who was detained, said: “My brother Shafan was arrested on October 22 2020 illegally by an unknown disguised security force and he has been under arrest since then.
“He is in the Asayish [intelligence services] prison and suffers poor detention conditions and constant physical and psychological torture, the lawyer, who was allowed to visit him, told us. We, his family, are not allowed to visit him until now.”