Abdesselam Ahmed Abdesselam Bakkali, a 37 year-old tailor from Tangiers, was arrested in Iraq by American troops in 2003 and condemned to seven years imprisonment. Instead of being released in March 2010 after having served his sentence, Mr Bakkali was seen on Iraq television in November 2010 making public confessions "Al Irakiya TV" and "Al-Arabiya TV" of being involved in terrorist acts. Bruises on his face were visible and he appeared to be frightened, while looking physically weak.

Iraqi MP, Mohammed Al-Dainy

Alkarama has just been informed of the latest resolution by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)'s Governing Council regarding the case of Iraqi parliamentarian Mohammed Al-Dainy dated 6 October 2010 (at their 187th session). The resolution states in strong terms that Mr Al-Dainy has suffered unfair persecution because of his human rights work, and that his current condemnation to death is the result of a process which "can only be termed travesty of justice". They further call on the authorities to "quash this iniquitous judgement forthwith and to fully rehabilitate Mr Al-Dainy". The resolution is available here.

While the ghosts of Abu Ghraib have yet to be exorcised, and the irresolute closure of the US Detention Centre in Guantanamo Bay is left looming in the distance, more and more torture cases from Iraq involving US forces are seeing the light of day, further lifting the lid on the United States' torture record.

Alkarama has received reports that Iraqi forces, accompanied by security agents, carried out eight house raids in Al-Adhamiya district, north Baghdad. Eight people were arrested without judicial warrants, including four women, who were taken to a detention center at the Old Muthanna Airport in west Baghdad.