Wessam Hussein Ali Al Ghazzawi, 32, freelancer, was arrested in the comfort of his home in Baghdad on 28 August 2014 by a group belonging to the Special Weapons and Tactics Unit (SWAT) – a special security force that has considerably strengthened since its creation by the U.S. army during the occupation –. According to the neighbours and relatives who witnessed his abduction, 13 people wearing masks and black uniforms stormed into Al Ghazzawi's house, accompanied by an informant. After this, they terrified Al Ghazzawi's relatives: two of them threatened Al Ghazzawi's one-year-old son by pointing a gun to his head and another man ordered Al Ghazzawi's mother to show them "where the weapon was hidden." After this, they arrested Al Ghazzawi and dragged him outside, where two white Silverado pickup trucks were waiting for them.

Following his arrest, Al Ghazzawi's relatives attempted to look for him but in vain. They inquired, amongst others, at the Ministry of Interior, at the Central Criminal Court of Iraq, the Tasferat prison near Al Shaab Stadium and the police stations in Bab Al Sheikh and Saray. However none of them was able to provide any information on the fate and whereabouts of Al Ghazzawi.

Left with no other recourse, Al Ghazzawi's relatives contacted Al Wissam Humanitarian Assembly and Alkarama in order to shed light on the fate and whereabouts of Al Ghazzawi, who remain disappeared to date. Alkarama and Al Wissam Humanitarian Assembly in turn seized the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED), calling upon it to ask the Iraqi authorities to release him immediately or, at the very least, to put him under the protection of the law by disclosing his whereabouts and allowing his family to visit him without restriction. Concerned over pattern of widespread and systematic practice of enforced disappearance documented, Alkarama calls upon the Iraqi authorities to put an end to the systematic practice of enforced disappearance in accordance with their obligations under international law, in particular the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances (ICPPED) ratified in November 2010, in particular by:

• Taking the necessary legal measures to ensure that enforced disappearance is criminalised under Iraqi law and that the penalties provided reflect their grave nature;
• Ensuring that all cases of disappearances are thoroughly, promptly and effectively investigated, and that those responsible are prosecuted;
• Adopting measures to clarify the fate and whereabouts of all victims and ensure that any individual who has suffered as a result of the disappearance is entitled to redress;
• Explicitly prohibiting secret and incommunicado detention and taking the necessary measures to ensure that all secret detention facilities are closed;
• Allowing unexpected independent inspection of all places of detention.

For more information or an interview, please contact the media team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Dir: +41 22 734 1008).