Iraq’s Human Rights ministry is probing into the death of one of the detained guards of Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi who allegedly died due to torture.
Hashimi’s guards were detained in November last year on charges of carrying out 150 attacks on Iraqi security forces and government employees. An arrest warrant was also issued against Hashimi for involvement in the attacks.

The arrest warrant against Hashimi was based on confessions of his guards whose videos were displayed on state run al-Iraqiya TV. Hashimi rejected the allegations and said his guards were tortured to confess.

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Human Rights Kamil Amin told AKnews that “we are looking into the death of one of Hashimi’s guards.. We will take our procedures in all cases relating to death of detainees or inmates”

Hashimi blamed in a letter the death of his guard on Baghdad authorities and said “it will complicate efforts for national reconciliation”

He also warned that it could spark sectarian conflicts again.

Baghdad Operations Command, which reports directly to Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, rejected the allegation and said he had died of a kidney illness. It also pledged to show all the medical documents that prove so.

Mr Amin said the Ministry of Human Rights is expecting to receive the results of an autopsy from the forensic department to find out whether the guard was tortured.

He said, though, that initial reports indicate the man had kidney issues. “We will announce the results as soon as they are out”







AKnews