Militant suspects hit by infectious diseases in cramped prisons
mosul — Hundreds of suspected Daesh members swept up by Iraqi forces in Mosul are being held in a cramped and stifling prison just outside the city.
Associated Press reporters visiting the facility saw more than 100 prisoners packed into a dark room, lined up shoulder to shoulder on the floor. There was no electricity or ventilation, despite daytime temperatures well over 45 degrees Celsius.
The Iraqi officer who oversees the facility said it currently holds some 370 prisoners. He says authorities were overwhelmed with detainees as Iraqi forces cleared the last neighbourhoods of the city earlier this month at the end of a grueling nine-month campaign.
“Prisoners are infected with diseases, lots of health and skin problems, because they’re not exposed to the sun,” he said. “The majority can’t walk. Their legs are swollen
Prisoners are infected with diseases, lots of health and skin problems, because they’re not exposed to the sun. The majority can’t walk. Their legs are swollen because they can’t move An Iraqi officer
because they can’t move.” He said a provincial health team checks on the prisoners “occasionally”.
More than 1,150 detainees have passed through the prison over the past three months, with 540 sent to Baghdad for further investigation, the officer said. Another 2,800 prisoners are being held in the Qayara air base south of Mosul, and hundreds more in a few smaller facilities. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity. Prisoners who were discreetly interviewed insisted they were innocent. They spoke on condition of anonymity.
“You won’t find 10 real (Daesh members) among these guys. And all of them have spent more than six months here,” one prisoner said. “Since I got here eight months ago, I’ve only seen the sun once.”
He said he was a civil servant and had travelled between Baghdad and Mosul on several previous occasions before being detained.
“They said my name was in their database. I haven’t seen any court or judge. I don’t even know what I’m accused of. A lot of names are the same,” he said.
He said two prisoners had died in the packed holding cell. Some prisoners “have pus coming out of their wounds. Once they go to the hospital, they come back with amputated legs or arms.” — AP