BAMRO

The Belgian International Organization for Human Rights and Development sent an urgent appeal to the Iraqi government and an urgent  human rights note to the High commissioner  in Geneva about the continued detention of the Yemeni citizen: Mohammed Naji Zubairi  In Iraq since 2006 until the present day.

According to the appeal text and the urgent note, the Yemeni citizen Mohammed Zubairi arrived in Iraq after receiving a legal visa obtained from the Iraqi embassy in the Yemen to visit some of the religious holy sites for Shiite Muslims in southern Iraq. The Yemeni tourist was arrested upon his arrival at" frontier-Waleed border crossing’’, and was arrested by US forces and the forces of the Iraqi army who  were present at the crossing. Immediately after they  arrested and took him to a camp close to the border, they seized his passport. Moreover, during the interrogation he suffered physical and psychological torture (According to the testimony of  Zubairi to our organization) in order to force him confess that he came to Iraq to fight and not for religious tourism. The interrogating process lasted for nearly one year without referring the detainee to the court nor releasing him.

On July 7th,2007. He has been forwarded to the Central Criminal Court Erkarkh, which issued against him the following decisions:

 "Innocence and release" of the charge of terrorism and “imprisonment for 15 years” on charges of attempting to enter the country illegally (after the disappearance of his passport during his detention while moving between US and Iraqi forces).

These sentences have been illegally taken in one session and in the absence of defense lawyer.

The International organization for Human Rights and Development has sent to the United Nations committees: documents and evidence and legal reasons that require the release of the victim; Besides, the Organization appealed in an urgent message to the Iraqi justice minister, the need to re-analyze Zubairi file and let the lawyers of our organization to visit him and check his health state.

 Our organization has equally sent an urgent note to the High commissioner in Geneva on the rights of the victim Zubairi and on the need to release him immediately. Our organization will continue to pursue Zubairi file for the enforcement of justice and will urge everyone to participate in putting an end to this innocent citizen’s suffering.

for more information,

 please contact our media team via e-mail: info@bamro.org

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