On 14 July 2015, around 4am, a dozen members of the Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF), some in military uniforms and others in civilian clothes, broke into Mohammad's house in Baghdad, looking for his brother, Hamid Al Jabouri, who had already been in prison twice before. After checking the identity of each person in the house, they claimed that Mohammad's identity card was "forged" and arrested him, beat him up, handcuffed and blindfolded him, before dragging him out of the house, forcing him into a Silverado pickup truck that took him to an unknown location. On 28 June 2015, some ISOF members had already searched their house and confiscated all the mobile phones they could find, under allegations that someone in his family was considered "a threat to State security."

Following his disappearance, Mohammad's family inquired about his whereabouts at the Al Muthanna – a secret detention centre located in West Baghdad where torture is systematically practiced – and Baghdad airports prisons, the Kadhimiya prison – the detention facility of the Fifth Division of Intelligence, under the control of the Ministry of Interior – and the Tasferat prison near Al Sha'ab stadium, but to no avail. On 24 July 2015, Al Jabouri's mother also gave an interview to Al Baghdadia TV, in which she urged the Prime Minister to release her son, who suffers from typhoid, palpitations and thyroid issues, for which he was undergoing medical treatment.

Left with no other recourse, Mohammad's relatives contacted Al Wissam Humanitarian Assembly – an Iraqi human rights organisation documenting cases of disappearances – as well as Alkarama, in the hope that they can help release him. In view of the facts, especially in view of the systematic use of torture and secret detention in Iraq – as documented by Alkarama in several cases over the past few years, such as that of a 40-year-old father who died under torture in Baghdad in March 2012 – the two above mentioned human rights NGOs seized the CED, asking this UN special procedure on human rights to ask the Iraqi authorities to release Mohammad 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 the pattern of widespread and systematic practice of enforced disappearances documented over the past few years, Alkarama calls upon the Iraqi authorities to put an end to this heinous crimes in accordance with their obligations under the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances (ICPPED), binding upon it by virtue of its ratification in November 2010, in particular by:

• Taking all 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).