Torture and Assassination of the Iraqi Minds

This is a translation (original text in Arabic)

By Dr. Haider Al-Juboori

During 2003 and so far, and according to my experience in that real tragedy, Iraq has dangerous stage is almost a broader and more comprehensive than Hulagu was done it in 1258.

Dr. Wissam S. Al-Hashimi was an Iraqi geologist born in Baghdad. In 2001 he was elected president of the Geological Society of Iraq and was president of the Union of Arab Geologists. From 1996 to 2002.

He was vice president of the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS).

I will start the story from the date of 24 August 2005, in the morning, I received a call from Dr. Wissam Al-Hashimi's family, which I have good family relationship with them that unknown gunmen abducted Dr. Wissam Al-Hashimi, while heading to the place of the Oil Ministry. in that time we seek with all our efforts, I and his family to reach to any solution for his rescue.

We were paid a large ransom to those gang after negotiating with them, but after two weeks, identified the body of Dr. Wissam Al-Hashimi by his daughter Balsam al-Hashemi at a hospital in central Baghdad.

Then I am with some persons from Dr. Wissam's Family, have taken the distorted body because of breakthroughs in firearms and torture, and we buried him in a cemetery in Baghdad.
That was the continuity of the Iraqi's bleeding. The tragedy did not end and I did not know at the time, the role has approached to me, but by different way.

The difficult days continued and in the early morning hours on Monday, January 30, 2006 were broken into my house by gunmen wearing Iraqi police commando uniforms and and they kidnapped me and my father and put the cover on our faces, and they stolen all money from the house in addition to my mobile phone after they smashed the many of home furniture and my computer in addition to my personal and scientific libraries, including books containing many knowledge.

This is what prompted me to confirm, they are brutal gangs and they did not have any relation with the law, not from far or near.

They had been beating me with all images and addition they link my eyes and my hands violently, which caused great pain and suffering to me and until now.
They pushed me inside a car that do not contain chairs, at that time, I felt my end very near and by one bullet in my head and small boost out of the car, I will be one of unidentified bodies in the early morning.


After a few hours, my brother phoned on my mobile phone and one of the criminals answered and asked him a sum of money for any information about me at the outset, the threats continued to my family if my family does not pay ransom of $ 50,000 dollars.
During the 75 days, I did not see the light of the sun just few hours that do not exceed four hours as total ... The food does not help against hunger and most of it mixed with oil derivatives and the water was unhealthy if it came!.

We were infected with many dermatosis and dermatitises because the place was very dirty in addition some persons had clots in brain because of stress, lack of ventilation in the place and power outages for long hours in addition the torture. (such as person Meshaan Al-Juboori, 35 year old, he infected clot in brain and Hemiplegia (paralysis)).

The torture was almost daily and in many ways dependent on the person of the gang which he alternate on that day, the tortures contained electrical shocks, and beaten on the joints of the body which cause severe pains.

They did not ask me any charge, but give me all kinds of insults and humiliation that we hear in the stories. All important things in this matter are humiliated me in one way or another.
In the one times, after torturing me for a long time and I am blindfolded. Someone laughed and said to me what is your job?, I said to him, I am Lecturer at the Al-Nahrain University - Faculty of Engineering. He laughed by ironic way, and he said...I'm the best you, you are on the ground and I seat on chair and you will remain on the ground and he was beat me strongly.

Every night… they was call one or more from us so that the person ,who have guard duty inside headquarters of the secret torture, so that he torture some persons from us in the night and also to cause insomnia to us by the screaming voices and suffering.

After several days, when they took me to a room of torture, I decided audaciously to ask them about the reason to arrest me if they are indeed members of the Interior Ministry as they claim.
When my question to them; person from them said with a laugh, you're grateful to us because we bring you here and we did not kill and put you in the place of waste so that the dogs eat from your corpse ... It confirmed to me right certainty that they are gang and have agendas from outside Iraq to implement them inside Iraq.

After several entreaties and contacts by my brothers during the 75 days. They agreed my release me and my father by ransom of 20,000 dollars (which it is all things that my brothers were able to collect it after the sale of many of the personal things of the family). We returned to our house with the same sleep wear, which they took us from the house.

Before my release ... person from gang threatened me. He said: If he saw me or my father again in Iraq will kill me without hesitation. They have taken several Photos to me by their mobile phones. after that, they covered my eyes again and put us in a car, and after few minutes they pushed us outside the car in a central Baghdad street on Friday was on 14 - April -2006.


We were lucky and we reached to our home because most of people that the gang released them did not came back to their family and they killed, such as a person I know him and he was with me, named Shakir Al-Azzawi.

We had one night in the home and then we went to the home of one of my relatives until I and my father traveled to Syria... but we did not have enough money for both of us to get to Sweden therefore...I am come Sweden and my father returned to Iraq!.

The tragic serial does not finish until now, in 4th May 2008, Dr. Iyad Hamza was killed near his home in Baghdad, he was the academic assistant of the President of Al-Nahrain University (the same university that I worked in it). I had good academic relationship with him in past years.
In addition, at May 2008, my father was threatened again and forced to flee from our house in Baghdad. My father and my brothers are now refugees.



Dr. Haider M. Al-Juboori is an Iraqi Engineer born in Baghdad. He has Ph.D. in Optoelectronic and Laser System Engineering. He was lecturer in Al-Nahrain University-College of Engineering. He is member in Iraqi Association of University Lecturers and in Iraqi Engineering Union.