When Mustafa al-Kadhimi became Prime Minister of Iraq in May 2020, he promised a new country. In particular, he promised to bring an end to Iraq’s dismal legacy of enforced disappearances, many of which are carried out by Iraqi security forces and Iran-backed armed groups. However, despite his promises to hold those implementing enforced disappearances accountable and deliver justice, there has been little change in the country. Today, Iraq has one of the highest numbers of missing persons in the world, and this continued practice is taking a toll on the nation and its people. As anti-government protests sweep across Iraq, al-Kadhimi must keep his word and act to end enforced disappearances or risk losing public support.
Enforced disappearance is when an individual is covertly abducted or imprisoned with the support of the state or a political entity. After the individual is captive, the perpetrators refuse to acknowledge they have carried out an abduction or disclose the captive’s location, intending to place them outside the protection of the law. According to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, enforced disappearances are considered a crime against humanity in international criminal law.
Enforced disappearances are a common tactic for silencing dissidents, activists, and political opponents in authoritarian countries. The practice is used to strategically spread fear within communities and often result in the torture and sometimes the deaths of captives. Although enforced disappearances are common in countries ranging from Syria to Sri Lanka, they are particularly present in Iraqi society. According to the International Commission on Missing Persons, approximately 250,000 to one million individuals are missing due to enforced disappearances. Because of this alarming statistic, al-Kadhimi’s promise to end enforced disappearances resonated strongly among the Iraqi people. The Prime Minister also promised to introduce a new mechanism for locating victims of enforced disappearances, sparking hope among the country’s citizens that they would be reunited with their loved ones. Al-Kadhimi’s statement was also impactful because it was one of the first public proclamations by a Middle Eastern leader to end the practice, suggesting this could signal a potential turning point in a region that has a longstanding history of relying on the tactic. Despite these hopes, many months passed, and al-Kadhimi has done little to follow up on his promise.
One of the most recent and infamous mass disappearances in the country occurred between June and July 2016 when Iraqi security forces and Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Unit (PMU) militias carried out military operations against the Islamic State in Fallujah. According to Human Rights Watch, during the two weeks of fighting, government forces beat armed men, mutilated corpses, performed summary executions, and carried out the enforced disappearances of at least 643 men. Additionally, testimonies collected by Amnesty International from former abductees, witnesses, and relatives of those forcibly disappeared revealed further information. These testimonies indicated that the PMU separated approximately 1300 men and boys considered to be fighting age and transported them to nearby areas where their identification documents and other possessions were confiscated. On June 5, 2016, security forces released over 600 men, who had detained in Saqlawiya during the operation, mostly from the Mahamda clan. However, the released captives reported that they saw security forces take away at least another 600 Mahamda men during their operation.
In November, a group of unidentified armed men arrested Arshad Heibat Fakhry and a government minister’s nephew from Ishtar Hotel in Baghdad for allegedly organizing a “masonic party” and for possessing half a kilo of heroin. Although the government minister’s nephew was released shortly after the incident, Fakhry has still not been located. His family has shared that they have visited five different security agencies and numerous political leaders, with no results.
Further, during the 2019-2020 protests, dozens of peaceful protesters disappeared, raising concerns both domestically and internationally. In December, a coalition of over 20 Iraqi and international NGOs called on the Prime Minister to ensure that the abducted protesters were released. The letter further stated that if Iraqi authorities found that the pro-Iran PMU was responsible for the disappearances, al-Kadhimi must hold it accountable. Over the past several years, the PMU has gained significant influence in Iraq and has been swift to crack down on dissenters, especially during the recent spate of protests.
When al-Kadhimi came to power in early 2020, he promised to end enforced disappearances in the country. His statements sparked hope in hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who have had their lives upended or influenced by this gruesome practice. However, almost one year has passed, and the Prime Minister has failed to demonstrate any changes or progress. His inaction speaks louder than his words. Iraqis are growing increasingly discontent with the situation in the country. If al-Kadhimi wants to retain public support, he must keep his word.
