Iraq Is Hotbed for Forcibly Disappeared Persons

Human rights activists believe that the kidnapped and forcibly disappeared persons’ file in Iraq isn’t a judicial and security matter but rather a genuine political issue, run by a powerful entity that aims at protecting certain figures and armed factions from being held accountable. Iraqi citizens are clamoring to reveal the whereabouts of individuals who were forcibly disappeared during military operations against ISIS from 2014 to 2017. The director of Al-Zawiya district, Muhammad Zaidan revealed that there are at least 4 thousand forcibly disappeared persons in Salah ad-Din Governorate, not to mention that more than 1800 in Samarra, and way more in the rest of the governorates which underwent liberating battles against ISIS