The Guardian: How did he use murder and kidnapping to intimidate Iraqi demonstrators?

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[rtl]British newspapers have covered a number of issues related to the Middle East, including killings and kidnappings of activists and demonstrators in Iraq.[/rtl]


 
 



[rtl]According to a report published in the newspaper "The Guardian", under the title "I thought I was dead", it investigates what activists and demonstrators are exposed to by the security services, and reveals how "kidnappings and killings are used to silence Iraqi activists."[/rtl]



[rtl]The report tells the story of the young paramedic Haider, who left the December 14th square in Tahrir Square in Baghdad, where he was helping the wounded and wounded, as he has done since he joined the thousands of other youths who have come out in continuous protests since last October.[/rtl]



[rtl]According to the report, "Haider went on that evening to dine with his friends in the nearby Karrada district, and after that he did not return to his tent in Tahrir Square as he usually does, but decided to go to his home to check on his mother and pregnant wife."[/rtl]



[rtl]The report continues the narration of Haider’s story, which he says “he arrived at the house in the middle of the night, and he was sitting in it, when a car carrying three gunmen stopped.” To call his brother Haider.[/rtl]



[rtl]He added, but the trick did not affect the gunmen, who took him with them to the car, after they blindfolded him, and after about an hour they arrived at a remote, unknown location where they kept him, beat him, and tortured him for several days, and asked him to open his mobile phone, and revealed pictures and names of young men driving the demonstrations. And when he refused, they continued to torture him, in particular by beating his arm, which bore traces of recent injury during the demonstrations, and they also showed him pictures of his mother and wife, and threatened to rape them.[/rtl]



[rtl]The report goes on to describe what Haidar was exposed to, as he talks about the numbers of the injured and the dead during the demonstrations, whether by rubber or live bullets or any other means. He also states that the tents in the square have almost all carried pictures of the activists who disappeared, whether by killing or kidnapping.[/rtl]



[rtl]The report says, "The Iraqi authorities have consistently promoted the presence of a third party that is kidnapping, torturing or killing activists."[/rtl]



[rtl]The report reveals that "the Iraqi security services have demolished their elements among the demonstrators in order to investigate their news and spy on them, and it tells a security officer, whose name is Hussam, who is affiliated with the Ministry of Interior, saying that he received orders to descend among the protesters and participate in the demonstrations, so that he can spy on them."[/rtl]



[rtl]According to the report, "The disgraced intelligence elements of the Ministry of Interior fill the Tahrir Square, but also have their tents, and monitor the inside and outside."[/rtl]



[rtl]"We have cameras, and we can monitor the entrances to the square, and we know who is entering and who is leaving. We also take advantage of the small age and lack of experience of the protesters, talking to them, knowing their names, and following them up to reach their leaders," said Hussam.[/rtl]



[rtl]"We especially target those who distribute food to the demonstrators, and who provide them with tents and blankets."[/rtl]