Iraqi Turkmen Human Rights Research Foundation
"Underestimation of the Turkmen population size in the 1920s during discussions of Mosul Issue in Lozano Negotiations and League of Nations established a base for successive Iraqi governments and now for the USA and Kurds to violate Turkmen Human Rights and marginalize them"
2.
Duration of detention (if not known, probable duration): N/A.
Mr. Ahmad was first detained in the Kurdish
Security Force prison for one month and was, then, transferred to Al-Zarga
prison, Duhok, North Iraq. He is still in
prison now.
3. Forces
holding the detainee under custody: Kurdish Security Forces
4. Places
of detention (indicate any transfer and present place of detention):
Al-Zarga
Prison – Duhok, Iraq
5.
Authorities that ordered the detention: Unknown Kurdish Authorities
6. Reasons for the
detention imputed by the authorities:
No official
documents were given to the prisoner or to his family members.
The following
information was received from a first degree relative of Mr. Ahmad: Mr. Ahmad
is accused of intelligence activities for Turkey and for the killing of a Kurdish
man. This has been said to the family members of Mr. Ahmad by the prosecutor.
The lawyer in
charge of the trial has also denied receiving any official documents about the
charges indicted on Mr. Ahmad from the authorities.
The accusation for the killing of the
Kurdish man relates to an incident during the pillage of the government offices
in Al- Rashidiya following the occupation of Iraq in 2003.It is well
known that almost all the governmental offices in Iraqi were exposed to robbing
and pillage after the occupation of Iraq at 09 April 2003. The
buildings were evacuated and burned and the autos were stolen.On 11 April 2003, the governmental offices in
al-Rashidiya city were attacked by robbers from outside the city causing
resistance from the city’s inhabitants. During the fighting, two Kurdish attackers
and two city’s inhabitants (One Turkmen and one Arab) were killed. Mr. Ahmad is
accused of killing one of the Kurdish attackers. The family claims that Mr.
Ahmad was not in the city on the day of the event.
7.
Relevant legislation applied (if known): N/A
IV.
Describe the circumstances of the arrest and/or the detention and indicate
precise reasons why you consider the arrest or detention to the arbitrary 9/
On
09 July 2007, Mr. Lokman was taking part in the Turkmen delegation attending
the conference organized by the Turkmen Scientist Professor Ihsan Doğramacı
in Ankara, Turkey. The delegation included
representatives from different Turkmen regions in Iraq
such as Kerkuk, Mosul and Erbil.
After completing the customs procedures, the delegation started to move to
cross to Turkey.
At that moment, Mr. Ahmad was held back.
Mr.
Ahmad was arrested by a Kurdish staff just before crossing the border and was
sent to the Kurdish security office (Asayish) in Duhok without any official
reason given to him.
V.
Indicate internal steps, including domestic remedies, taken especially with the
legal and administrative authorities, particularly for the purpose of
establishing the detention and, as appropriate, their results or the reasons
why such steps or remedies were ineffective or why they were not taken N/A
VI. Full name and address of the person(s)
submitting the information (telephone and fax number, if possible) 10/
Subject: Urgent Appeal of Arbitrary Detention of Mr. Lokman Najem Ahmad
The Iraqi Turkmen Human Rights Research
Foundation, known as ‘SOITM’, is an institute with a focus on human rights and
democracy. It maintains regular contact with the Middle East academics,
international press, policy makers and the Human Rights organizations to
represent the Turkmen of Iraq and assist the democratization process and the
spread of civil society culture in Iraq. This communication relates to
serious and ongoing concerns about the arbitrary detention of member of the
Iraqi Turkmen Front of the Mosul Region, Mr. L. N. Ahmad.
On 9 July 2007, the Kurdish security forces
arrested Mr. L. N. Ahmad at the Khabur Frontier Door between Turkey and Iraq. No warrant or decision from the
public authorities was given at his arrest nor given to the lawyer in charge of
the case.
He remained in the Kurdish Security Prison for about
a month. During his interrogation, which lasted for about a month, he recounted
the continuous exposure to persecution by cables and hoses on his body and of
the use of boxes on his face. Thereafter, Mr. L. N. Ahmad was transferred to al-
Zarga prison in Duhok and he is still in this prison. In al-Zarga prison his
family was allowed weekly visit him.
Mr. Ahmad’s family is concerned about the
handling of the trial of Mr. Ahmad due on the 25th October 2007 as
the lawyers out of three Iraqi governorates under Kurdish Administration (Erbil, Duhok and Sulaymania) are not allowed by the
Kurdish Authorities to handle trials in the courts. Henceforth, Mr. Ahmad’s family
referred to a Kurdish Lawyer from Duhok city to handle the case, but are
concerned about his attention to the case.
Until now, no any official documents have been
issued from the Kurdish Authorities about the arrest, the detention and the procedures.
The Turkmen are the third largest ethnic group
in Iraq
after the Kurds and Arabs. The number of Turkmen is estimated at more than 10%
of the Iraqi population. They live in the provinces of north and middle of Iraq: Mosul,
Erbil, Kerkuk, Salah al-Din, Diyala, Baghdad
and Kut. They are distinct in language and culture from both their neighbors,
the Arabs and Kurds. Yet, the Turkmen are continuously denied political rights
and systematically faced assimilation. Iraq has been a fertile ground for
arbitrary detentions, and the Turkmen have suffered tremendously from this
trend.
SOITM condemns the blatant
disregard of human rights, including the frequent use of arbitrary detention,
in Iraq
and Turkmen regions and therefore hereby appeals
to Your organization to:
ÖUrge the Kurdish
authorities, Coalition Provisional Authority and Iraqi government authorities
in Baghdad to free Mr. L. N. Ahmad until any form of legitimate and recognized
form of warrant or decision explaining the detention is offered;
ÖClosely observe the
processes of the trial of Mr. Ahmad on the 25 October 2007 in Duhok, Iraq
to ensure a fair trial according to international legal standards;
ÖUrge all authorities in the
region to immediately halt further persecution of the Turkmen community; and
ÖRemind all authorities in the region of their
obligations under internationally recognised standards of Human Rights.
I hope You will be able to offer due
consideration to the request contained in this letter, and I take this
opportunity to offer You the assurances of our highest appreciation.
