BAGHDAD — Amnesty International said on Thursday it feared that anti-government protesters arrested in Iraq this week risk torture, just as demonstrators detained last month reported they had been abused.
"A group of anti-government protesters missing since they were arrested this week in Baghdad are feared to be at risk of torture, after other recently released protesters told Amnesty International they were tortured in detention," the London-based watchdog said.
Amnesty said at least 10 people were detained on Monday while returning home from a Baghdad protest against unemployment, government corruption and poor social services.
An interior ministry official told AFP on condition of anonymity that detainees from Monday's protest were all released the same day.
Around 500 protesters took to the streets of central Baghdad on Monday to mark one year since Iraq's parliamentary polls, railing against what they said were politicians' broken promises.
The demonstration, which was held under the Freedom Monument in Tahrir Square, was the latest in a string of rallies that have taken place across Iraq since the beginning of February, following uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.
"We fear there is a real risk of torture for those arrested on Monday, especially as their whereabouts in detention is yet to be disclosed. This seems to be following a pattern of protesters being detained and tortured as the Iraqi government tries to crack down on demonstrations," said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty's director for the Middle East and North Africa.
Amnesty said detainees arrested Monday include Ala Sayhud, Maan Thamer, Ali Abdel Zahra and Mohammad Kadhim Finjan.
"Two recently released activists have told Amnesty International that they were tortured or otherwise ill-treated in detention after they were arrested in connection with recent protests," the watchdog said.
It said Abdel-Jabbar Shalub Hammadi was detained without charge for 12 days following his arrest on February 24, adding he was beaten and tortured throughout the first five days.
Journalist Hadi al-Mehdi, who was arrested on February 25, told Amnesty he received electric shocks to his feet and was threatened with rape during his interrogation by police.
"The Iraqi authorities claim that they are stamping out torture but as these testimonies show it continues to be used against detainees and the perpetrators appear to believe they can act with impunity," Smart said.
Unlike protests in other parts of the Middle East, demonstrators in Iraq have largely not been calling for regime change, instead complaining about corruption, unemployment and poor public services.
In the biggest such rally, thousands gathered across the country on February 25, including 5,000 in Baghdad alone.
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