A nine-month investigation by the Washington Post earlier this month concluded that Iraq’s Permanent Committee to Investigate Corruption and Significant Crimes, also known as Committee 29, had used extreme methods of torture, including sexual violence, to extract pre-written confessions from former Iraqi officials and businessmen. The report relies on interviews with several of the detainees, their family members, as well as Iraqi and Western officials.
In his first remarks since the publication of the article, Kadhimi stated that, during his time in office, he had always worked towards upholding human rights and preventing the “reoccurrence of any violations” in the interrogation process, adding that a report from the Attorney General at the end of 2021 stated that the committee had “adhered to all international standards of Human Rights.”
“This Committee worked in an official manner, in accordance with judicial rulings. No arrest warrant or detention order was issued without judicial oversight. The same applied to subsequently taken measures. The Committee worked at applying current laws to combat corruption, which had eroded government institutions,” read a statement from the former premier.
The former PM called on the Iraqi people and human rights bodies to “monitor possible violations,” saying that he welcomes such endeavors to “reveal the truth”
“Allegations of violations need to be supported by tangible legal evidence, something clearly lacking during this recent episode.”
Led by Ahmed Abu Ragheef, a senior intelligence and investigations officer in the Ministry of Interior, Committee 29 was formed under the directive of Kadhimi in August 2020 to investigative major corruption cases.
Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani last week referred the complaints and allegations against Committee 29 to the public prosecution office.
Rampant corruption plagues all levels of the Iraqi state, and the crisis-hit country ranks 157 out of 180 countries in Transparency International's corruption perceptions index.
Iraq has often been criticized for poor prison conditions and treatment of detainees and suspects.
