CPT Iraq - Human Rights Testimonies

The following is a transcription of a human rights questionnaire filled out by Mohamed Kamel Yahya (with the assistance of a translator) detailing his case. Some spelling and grammar errors have been noted to aid the reader.

DATE: 20-3-2005

Name: Mohamed Kamel Yahya

Interviewer Name: [blank] Today Date: 20-3-2005

Address & Phone Numbers: Baghdad, Al-Ahdamyia

[house number and telephone number withheld]

Alias: [blank]

Birth Place: Baghdad DOB: 20-11-1966

Domicile: Al-ahdamyia Citizenship: Iraqi

Political Affiliation: [blank] Profession: free work

Religious Affiliation: Muslim

Who Detained You (U.S. Forces, Iraqi Police)? US. Forces and Iraqi Police detained me.

In Which Facility? Baghdad, Al-ahdamyia

Prisoner ID#: 153926 Cell block/number: [blank]

Under what name? Mohamed Kamel Yahya

Arrest Date: 8-11-2003

Release Date: 2-1-2005

How were you arrested (money or property taken)?

I am arrested without money or property taken.

Who was with you when you were arrested?

My brothers, [names omitted].

Can you describe the officers who arrested you? (Find out if military or civilian.)

The officers who arrested me is military and civilian, U.S. and Iraqi, and I know one of them who is Iraqi.

What were the conditions of your detainment?

The condition of the detainment is very bad, poor meal, water very little, and during the summer and winter there is no conditioner, and the rain inside the detainment, dirty place and crowding.

Number of Daily Meals (type of food, pork)?

Two times of daily meal, and the food is covered, and we didn’t know the type of food or if pork with it or not.

Were clothes provided? Did they ever withhold clothing? Was laundry service provided?

Just the under wear provided, and the clothes withhold for more than 6 months.

What was your shelter like? Able to Sleep Comfortably?

There is no sleep comfortably, but there is continouse [sic.] psychological war.

Do you know why you were detained? Cause of detained is Iraqi man

Were you ever told a reason? Attack of U.S. army

State Reason: attack of U.S. forces

Were you ever charged with any crime? Attack of U.S. forces

Number of Interrogations: about 50 times

How Long? Don’t know 1st Interrogation place: don’t know

Who was present at the interrogation (Names, Faces, Civilians, Military, Clothes, Arabs or Americans)? One of them military, civilian translator and military U.S.

Translator Nationality/Dialect (Iraqi?): Egypt

Was Translator Professional: I don’t know that. I don’t speak English.

Did Translator Participate in Interrogation (add things)?

No

Did Translator mistreat you (insult or beat)?

No

Questions asked, your responses, were you mistreated, insulted, threatened, beaten, by whom?

Questions about the cause of attack of U.S. forced, and my answer that they arrested me inside of my house, and after that they started to [sic.] hitting me.

How long? 15-30 min. 2nd Interrogation Place: police college

Who was present at the interrogation (Names, Faces, Civilians, Military, Clothes, Arabs or Americans)?

U.S. military, and translator with military clothes.

Translator Nationality/Dialect (Iraqi?): Iraqi

Was the translator Professional: I don’t know. I don’t speak English.

Did Translator Participate in Interrogation (add things)?

No.

Did Translator mistreat you (insult or beat)?

No.

Questions asked, your responses, were you mistreated, insulted, threatened, beaten, by whom?

The questions about hawan [mortars] and RBG-7 [sic.] that present inside my house, but the true that I don’t have even bollet [sic.] in my house during checking the house by the U.S. military and Iraqi Police forces.

How long? 30 min. 3rd Interrogation Place: Airport

Who was present at the interrogation (Names, Faces, Civilians, Military, Clothes, Arabs or Americans)?

All of them is civilian U.S.

Translator Nationality/Dialect (Iraqi?): Lebnan [sic.] and Iraqi

Was Translator Professional? I don’t know.

Did Translator Participate in Interrogation (add things)?

Yes the Iraqi and the Lebnanian [sic.] translator. name of lebnanian translator Assaf.

Did Translator mistreat you (insult or beat)?

Yes by Labnanian translator by insulted me.

Questions asked, your responses, were you mistreated, insulted, threatened, beaten, by whom?

The question that why Hawan [mortars] and RBG-7 [sic.] inside the house, and at that time there is no hawan and RBG-7 in my house.

Other question that I instillated [sic.] pomp [sic.; bomb] in Omar adbal Aziz street, and I don’t do anything like that.

And I told him that the cause of arrested me by U.S. army is Iraqi man working with U.S. forces is taken me and two of my brothers, and name of that Iraqi man is Mohammed Saddam, and that man working with ‘wattson’ during the previous government.

Stripped of your clothing (nude)? No

Beaten by hand (punches)? Yes

Beaten by stick or rod? Yes

Beaten by cables, wires or belts? No

Held at gunpoint? Yes

Hooded? Yes

Had cold water poured on you? Yes

Had a rope tied to your genitalia? No

Called Names, Insults? Yes

Threatened or touched by dogs? Yes

Dragged by rope or belt? No

Denied Prayer or Wudhu? Yes

Forced to perform sexual acts? No

Were you raped or sodomized? No

Did someone improperly touch your genitalia? No

Did you witness any sexual acts while in detention? No

Did you witness any rapes of men, women, or children? No

Urinated on or made to touch feces, or had feces thrown at you? No

Denied sleep? Yes

Denied food? Yes

Witnessed any deaths? Yes

Did you witness any torture or mistreatment (to others)? Yes

Forced to wear women clothes (question for men only)? No

Were you burned or exposed to extreme heat? No

Exposed to severe cold? Yes

Subjected to Electric Shock? Yes

Forced to act like a dog? No

Forced in uncomfortable positions for a length [sic.] period of time? Yes

Forced to stand or sit in painful manner for lengthy periods of time? Yes

Lose consciousness? Yes

Forced to hit others? No

Hung by feet? No

Hung by hands or arms? Yes

Threatened to have family killed? Yes

Family members detained? Yes

Witnessed Family members tortured? Yes

Forced to sign anything? Yes

Photographed? Yes

Did you speak to other detainees about their treatment in detention?

Yes I speak with other detainees about their treatment in detention, and he told me that he lie on the ground and the dog above him.

Was there something not yet asked or mentioned that you like to add?

During discharge me [sic.], I signature in one of paper that, the U.S. forces not insult me inside the detention, and any one refuse to signature on this paper they refuse to discharge him.

For more information see Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) Adopt-a-Detainee campaign. Visit Detainee Profiles and Detainee Testimonies sections on CPT’s website.