“Fake garages” in Iraq.. Extortion of vehicle owners by subsidized parties

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[size=52]“Fake garages” in Iraq.. Extortion of vehicle owners by subsidized parties[/size]

[size=45]Many Iraqis complain about the spread of “fake garages” in commercial, medical and even residential areas that oppress car owners and extort them. This phenomenon spread in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, after 2003, and then spread to the rest of the country’s governorates and cities.
The phenomenon involves a group of people taking a location or area of ​​a specific street as a parking lot in exchange for collecting money from car owners. These parking lots or garages are often close to commercial complexes, hospitals and other areas that are frequently visited by people, with a lack of public or private parking services.
Iraqis describe the phenomenon as a type of extortion and imposition of fees, stressing that the matter is not hidden from the security authorities, and that many citizens and shop owners have filed complaints and have not been responded to.
On a street branching off from a main street in the Rusafa side of Baghdad, a group of young men took advantage of an area of ​​about thirty meters, and began imposing fees on the owners of the cars that park there.
“The young men quickly expanded their business to impose fees on those who park their cars on the side roads,” said Muthanna Abdul Hafeez, who lives in the area. “The street is filled with shops, lawyers’ offices, and doctors’ clinics, and it is always busy throughout the day, as people come to see doctors or lawyers or to shop, and they park their cars on both sides of the street. When it gets crowded, people sometimes resort to parking their cars in the adjacent residential alleys.”
Abdul Hafeez added: “About five young men work in this area, imposing fees on cars parked on a public street. They always show that they belong to an armed group, so everyone avoids bumping into them. They make no less than 800,000 dinars ($600) per day.” A
security officer working on a police patrol in Baghdad said: “It is an easy, available, and profitable profession, and the condition is that it is supported by some group. There are many armed groups, and they all have the authority to prevent us from bumping into them, or to prevent them from committing these violations.”
“We always talk to people who commit violations, whether it is charging fees to owners of cars that park on the side of the road, or doing something in an unauthorized place. They show us evidence that they are affiliated with an armed group. Then we avoid direct confrontation and inform our administrations so that they can take the necessary action,” he added.
Clashes have often occurred between official security agencies and armed groups in Iraqi cities, following the armed groups or one of their members committing a violation. In some of these clashes, people were killed and injured on both sides. It is not unusual in Iraq for armed men belonging to a faction or a powerful tribe to openly violate the law, in full view of the security forces, due to the power and influence these armed groups enjoy.
Saad al-Abadi confirms that he is “closely aware of how people exploit the streets to extort people by using them as garages. One of my relatives has connections with a leader in an armed faction, and more than nine years ago he took over part of a busy commercial street in northern Baghdad and turned it into a garage. The militia leader facilitated his work at first, as he parked an armed group with a military vehicle near him. My relative quickly became known for being affiliated with this group, and this was enough to prevent any shop owners or residents in the area whose sidewalks he also occupied and turned into garages from harassing him. He supervises his garages, which are staffed by a number of young men for about 12 hours a day, and he makes good profits, part of which he gives to the owner who provides him with protection.”
Many complaints reach the official authorities about the exploitation of streets and alleys of residential neighborhoods and turning them into garages for illegal gain.
In early August, the Baghdad Municipality, the body responsible for municipal services in the Iraqi capital, announced the launch of a campaign to hold accountable the owners of fake garages, with the support of the Ministry of Interior, and arrested dozens of them.
Iraqis supported this campaign and stressed the need for it to continue, but many believe that it will not be enough without deterrent penalties.
Haider al-Hasnawi, an air conditioning repair specialist, confirms that his work requires him to move between areas, which requires him to park his car in different places. He explains that he constantly encounters the owners of fake garages and is forced to pay what he calls “protection money” in the local dialect.
Al-Hasnawi adds: “Once, I parked my car in a place, and two young men appeared and asked me for money, and told me that they had rented the place and turned it into a garage. Later, I discovered that a traffic officer had issued me a ticket, and it seems that the two young men tear up any ticket receipts that the traffic officers put on cars to ensure that they continue to extort others.”
Omar Hadi, who works as a taxi driver, says: “We welcomed the campaign launched by the Baghdad Municipality, but I do not think it will continue. There are no deterrent penalties, which means that this campaign will not succeed. In addition, there are those who are above the law, and there are those who support illegal activities, including fake garages.”[/size]
[size=45]About: Al-Araby Al-Jadeed[/size]
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