Behind Closed Doors: Inside Kurdistan’s Prisons

Behind Closed Doors: Inside Kurdistan’s Prisons

Introduction

Inside detention facilities across the Kurdistan Region, testimonies gathered in this investigation describe a pattern of torture, forced confessions, intimidation, and systematic abuse carried out behind closed doors by elements of the prison system and security apparatus (Asayish).

Gathered independently from former detainees, former military personnel, former prison employees, and other individuals with direct knowledge of detention facilities, the testimonies reveal consistent patterns of abuse. Although the witnesses had no connection to one another, they describe repeated interrogation practices, punishment inside detention facilities, concealment of detainees, and obstruction of oversight. Names and identifying details have been withheld to protect the identities and safety of sources.

Torture and Deaths in Detention

A man who served a two-year sentence in Akre prison following his arrest on 03.02.2017 stated that he witnessed the death of his 75-year-old cellmate, identified as Haji, after the man was subjected to severe torture inside the facility.

According to the witness, Haji was targeted because he refused to participate in prayers. The witness stated that prisoners who did not pray were subjected to particularly harsh treatment inside Akre prison.

He also described the repeated humiliation of another prisoner identified as a member of the PKK. According to the testimony, guards forced the prisoner to remove rubbish from a bin and place it back repeatedly before eventually forcing him into the bin itself, where he remained for hours until he lost consciousness.

A man arrested on murder accusations on 27.06.2016 and held in Mihata Prison stated that torture and abuse during his detention caused permanent physical injuries. According to his testimony, he suffered hearing loss, a broken leg, breathing complications linked to asthma, cigarette burns, and severe injuries to his hands and fingernails during interrogations.

He further stated that interrogators repeatedly struck him with the butt of a firearm while he was in prison.

Abuse Within Military Detention

Accounts from former personnel within the Kurdistan Commando Force describe punitive measures against members who attempted to transfer to other military units following disputes with commanders.

After their transfer requests were denied, several members appealed to higher military authorities outside the Commando Force, leading to further disputes with commanders. On 11.04.2019, they were detained inside Commando facilities and interrogated.

During detention and interrogation, personnel reported severe beatings resulting in broken ribs, internal injuries, and loss of consciousness.

A former employee of Speelk Prison, identified as Mateen, who was transferred from Erbil to serve at the facility, was subjected to torture by internal security personnel inside the prison. He lost his eyesight as a result. According to accounts from within the facility, he was later transferred to Iran for medical treatment in an effort to avoid exposure.

The incident is reported to have followed his assistance to prisoners, including allowing them to use his phone to contact their families. After this was discovered, he was targeted by prison authorities on 09.02.2018.

Coercion and Abuse of Authority

According to a person who previously worked in the Kurdistan Region’s security apparatus, some businessmen involved in financial disputes with influential figures were subjected to pressure and coercive tactics.

According to the source, individuals who refused to provide money, ownership stakes, or shares in their companies were later accused of wrongdoing through what the source described as false charges and fabricated documents, including accusations of links to ISIS or other serious crimes.

The source indicated that these actions were carried out by individuals who held rank within the Kurdistan Region’s security apparatus.

A man detained by the Kurdistan Region’s security apparatus on 15.12.2020 on what he says was a false accusation of misconduct stated that he was subjected to torture and coercive pressure during his detention and was forced to sign a written testimony against an individual he said he had never met. He said the confession was extracted under duress following repeated physical and psychological abuse, and that the statement was not voluntary but obtained through intimidation while in custody.

He added that, years after his imprisonment, he continues to suffer severe physical and psychological effects and relies on medication. He also stated that he lives with lasting guilt over the testimony obtained from him under torture.

Concealment of Detention Conditions

A former employee of Kani Goma Prison described a system used to conceal detention conditions during visits by human rights observers. According to his account, advance notice of inspections was provided through the Sulaymaniyah General Security Agency, allowing prison authorities time to prepare the facility before monitoring teams arrived.

Detainees were handcuffed, blindfolded, and transported out of the prison in ambulances prior to inspections, then returned once the visits had concluded.

He also stated that prison guards were instructed to pose as detainees during inspections, placed inside cells, and directed to praise prison conditions, food, and treatment while denying the existence of abuse or mistreatment, creating a false impression of normal prison operations.

The former employee further described incidents inside the prison in which detainees were subjected to torture during interrogations and punishment, stating that some prisoners lost their lives as a result. He said the prison held detainees of different nationalities, including Arabs, and described a pattern of abuse, mistreatment, and harsh conditions.

Beyond conditions inside the facility, he also described corruption and the misuse of authority involving the use of influence and financial payments to facilitate arrests and imprisonment. According to the account, some cases were linked not only to political and social disputes but also to personal interests and private motives. In one case he described, a man was imprisoned after an influential figure became interested in his wife, with detention used as a means of removing him from the situation.

Influence, Imprisonment, and Death

A leaked account from an individual currently employed at Fort Suse prison describes the case of a man who worked as both a guard and gardener for a prominent political figure. According to the account, the man discovered that the politician’s son had been involved in a relationship with his wife, a revelation that led to a violent confrontation in which the son was stabbed.

The account states that the man was later arrested and brought before court without a full judicial investigation, in circumstances described as influenced by the political figure’s power and connections.

He was then transferred to prison, where he remained in detention for a long period of time. According to the source, his condition worsened severely during his imprisonment, with his weight reportedly falling from around 90 kilograms at the time of arrest to about 30 kilograms before his death.

The case was cited by the source as an example of how personal influence and political power could shape arrests, court proceedings, and imprisonment within the system.

Psychological Pressure and Forced Confessions

A detainee who was detained on 23.05.2023 provided testimony stating that he was subjected to harsh treatment and humiliation while in prison in connection with a fraud and identity theft case, which he says he had no involvement in.

He stated that after repeatedly refusing to confess, he faced increasing psychological pressure and abuse from the authorities.

He also stated that during his detention, his wife was brought before him in a degrading and humiliating manner, which he described as an attempt to pressure him into confessing. He described this as one of the most traumatic experiences of his imprisonment, saying the pressure targeted both him and his family in an effort to break his resistance.

Corruption Inside Prison Facilities

A leaked account from within Kani Goma prison describes widespread corruption and financial exploitation. According to the testimony, certain prisoners are appointed by prison authorities to supervise and monitor other detainees inside the cells. The account describes these individuals as serving as the “eyes and ears” of the internal security, with payments reportedly routed through them and passed on to those in charge.

It states that detainees who wish to access mobile phones to contact their families or others are required to pay fees through prisoners designated as cell monitors. Phone use is reported to take place mainly at night under an informal system operating inside the facility.

It also states that prisoners wishing to transfer from one cell to another are required to pay money before such transfers are permitted.

The account further describes repeated incidents in which prisoners are beaten by other inmates while CCTV cameras are switched off. It links these incidents to the internal security structure and suggests involvement of individuals within the facility’s security system in enabling or overseeing the conditions in which the violence occurs.

Disappearances and Unanswered Questions

Serious concerns continue to emerge over the reported disappearance of civilians linked to opposition political parties in the region, with their fate and whereabouts remaining unknown amid a lack of official clarification.

Families continue to search for their relatives, including sons and husbands, and report repeated attempts to obtain information without receiving responses.

In some accounts, relatives state that their family members were taken by authorities and have not been heard from since. Families also describe visiting security offices, detention facilities, and local authorities in search of answers, only to be told that no information is available.

Facilities Referenced in Testimonies.

Several facilities, including Kani Goma Prison, Asayish Gishti Detention Center, Speelk Prison, Fort Suse Prison, Mihata Central Prison, and Akre Prison, are referenced in accounts concerning detainee treatment, interrogation practices, prison conditions, and detention procedures.