Baghdad woman says she was arrested, beaten after reporting crime
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - After Lamia Hassan Salem Al-Obaidi’s house was burglarized by an unknown armed attacker in the al-Zafaraniyah area of southern Baghdad last week, she immediately filed a complaint at the police station.
But to her surprise, she was arrested and jailed for six days.
During her time behind bars, she says she was severely beaten and tortured.
"I entered [the police station] with all respect and did not overstep anyone, nor did I raise my voice to anyone," Obaidi said after she went to a police station to file a complaint about the home burglary.
She explained: "There were four witnesses who were with me. I was surprised that a case had been fabricated against me that I had insulted the Minister of the Interior and the Rusafa police chief.
"They said, ‘Put her in prison.’ At this moment I started bleeding and my clothes were all covered in blood [under torture].
"There was no humanity. [On the first day] they put me in the police station until sunset - dawn until dusk. Then they transferred me to a women’s prison for six days and this is why I look like this now."
Due to severe torture, Obaidi has serious bruises and injuries from head to toe.
She says she has suffered from severe pain for days.
The victim continues recalling to Rudaw what she has gone through.
"There were two of them present, and I remember the voice of one of them saying to the other, 'Enough, the woman will die in our hands.’ The first beating felt like an explosion in my brain, and blood began to bleed from my nose, head, and mouth," the woman recounted.
She added: "They hit my head and kicked it against the wall... and since I got out, my feet have swollen, and I cannot walk. From home, I only went to Al-Zafaraniyah Hospital to measure my blood pressure and conduct the necessary tests. My feet are swollen and I cannot walk at all."
Rudaw has reached out to the relevant authorities in Baghdad for a comment on the matter at hand, but they were not immediately available.
The United States State Department stated in its annual global report on human rights practices for 2023, that human rights conditions in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region have worsened compared to the previous year, citing the imposition of increased restrictions on fundamental freedoms and civic space by both Erbil and Baghdad.
The report, based on fieldwork and reports by local and international human rights organizations and media outlets, critically analyzes the human rights situation in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. In addition to providing an overview of incidents of misconduct by the security apparatus, the report also highlighted numerous violations against journalists and activists.
Among the most significant human rights issues recorded were “extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearance; torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment or punishment by government officials; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; arbitrary arrest or detention,” as well as “serious restrictions on free expression and media, including violence or threats of violence against journalists, unjustified arrests and prosecutions against journalists, censorship.”
But to her surprise, she was arrested and jailed for six days.
During her time behind bars, she says she was severely beaten and tortured.
"I entered [the police station] with all respect and did not overstep anyone, nor did I raise my voice to anyone," Obaidi said after she went to a police station to file a complaint about the home burglary.
She explained: "There were four witnesses who were with me. I was surprised that a case had been fabricated against me that I had insulted the Minister of the Interior and the Rusafa police chief.
"They said, ‘Put her in prison.’ At this moment I started bleeding and my clothes were all covered in blood [under torture].
"There was no humanity. [On the first day] they put me in the police station until sunset - dawn until dusk. Then they transferred me to a women’s prison for six days and this is why I look like this now."
Due to severe torture, Obaidi has serious bruises and injuries from head to toe.
She says she has suffered from severe pain for days.
The victim continues recalling to Rudaw what she has gone through.
"There were two of them present, and I remember the voice of one of them saying to the other, 'Enough, the woman will die in our hands.’ The first beating felt like an explosion in my brain, and blood began to bleed from my nose, head, and mouth," the woman recounted.
She added: "They hit my head and kicked it against the wall... and since I got out, my feet have swollen, and I cannot walk. From home, I only went to Al-Zafaraniyah Hospital to measure my blood pressure and conduct the necessary tests. My feet are swollen and I cannot walk at all."
Rudaw has reached out to the relevant authorities in Baghdad for a comment on the matter at hand, but they were not immediately available.
The United States State Department stated in its annual global report on human rights practices for 2023, that human rights conditions in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region have worsened compared to the previous year, citing the imposition of increased restrictions on fundamental freedoms and civic space by both Erbil and Baghdad.
The report, based on fieldwork and reports by local and international human rights organizations and media outlets, critically analyzes the human rights situation in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. In addition to providing an overview of incidents of misconduct by the security apparatus, the report also highlighted numerous violations against journalists and activists.
Among the most significant human rights issues recorded were “extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearance; torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment or punishment by government officials; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; arbitrary arrest or detention,” as well as “serious restrictions on free expression and media, including violence or threats of violence against journalists, unjustified arrests and prosecutions against journalists, censorship.”