Takrit Camp 20

One of the detention camps of Iranian prisoners in Iraq.

Camp 20 in Takrit was one of the detention camps of Iranian prisoners, which had been set up in May 1989, and the Red Cross was unaware of the existence of such a camp in Iraq. This camp started operating following the transfer of a number of Iranian prisoners settled in other camps in Takrit region such as 11 (← Takrit camp 11), 12 (← Takrit camp 12), 14 (← Takrit  camp 14), 15 (← Takrit camp 15), and 16 (← Takrit camp 16) .

Geographical and architectural characteristics

The camp consisted of two separate blocs, A and B, which were about 500 meters apart. Bloc A consisted of seven barracks with dimensions of approximately 5 x 20 meters. There were three barracks in the northern part and three barracks in the southern part, and a barrack was located in the northern part of the camp area and was allocated to patients suffering from scabies, which is why it was known as the scabies barrack among the prisoners. There was a 50-meter corridor in each of the barracks. In the entrance area in front of the barracks, there was a garden of about 5 square meters. The exterior of the barrack was made of bricks, which the prisoners had painted white. In addition, inside the barracks, there were some smaller rooms that were used as infirmary or hospital. Bloc B had a building similar to Bloc A and had been built by the prisoners of Bloc A with a slight difference in structure and was smaller in  size. This bloc had six barracks with dimensions of approximately 5 x 20 meters, three barracks on the northern side and three barracks on the southern side of the camp, and there were some smaller rooms that were used as barbershop and Iraqi soldiers' rooms. Bloc B of Camp 20 in Takrit was set up with the arrival of a number of unregistered and missing prisoners from other camps in Takrit in January 1989. Most of the prisoners who were transferred to this area were from Camp 16 (Takrit camp 16).

Camp facilities

For the air conditioning of the barracks, there were three windows that were fenced and opened to the yard. These windows provided the lighting of barracks  Since the camps in Takrit were considered military barracks, the floors of the barracks were covered with concrete and the prisoners used the blankets they had for furnishing. For cooking, there was a kitchen for the entire camp, which was run by Iranian prisoners .  The kitchen of the camp was 5 x 8 square meters and was located near the barrack of Iraqi soldiers. When the prisoners arrived, there were about five field toilets in the camp. There was also a well next to the toilets. A few months after the prisoners entered this camp, about seven toilets were built by the prisoners themselves in the northern part of the camp. The 7 toilet fountains of the second bloc  were located on the northern side of the camp and behind the barracks 4, 5, and 6. The toilets were two steps high from the ground .

A small pond in the corner of the barrack had been built by the prisoners themselves, where a low-pressure faucet had been placed, and it was where the captives washed their clothes or dishes. It was used as a toilet from the time the darkness whistle was blown until the next morning at 8 o'clock. The bathroom, which was built in the eastern part of the camp a little away from the toilets, had about 8 cubicles. They were small,  looking dank and unclean with no showers,  the water source of which was a tank on the roof of the bathroom. Hot water was not available to the prisoners except in the summer when the sun heated the water. In bloc B of the camp, there were seven bathrooms next to the toilets. Bathing was done once a week and prisoners had to take turns to take a bath, and because of this, lice spread in all over the camp. (→ Washing and bathing)

The sanitary conditions in this camp were not suitable. Due to the poor sanitary conditions, the captives were suffering from scabies and dysentery and even renal diseases. Moreover, the camp infirmary had very few facilities to treat diseases. Inside the barrack, there were some small rooms, which were located in the western part between barracks 5 and 7. In the infirmary, there was not much of medicine, and Iraqi doctors only prescribed a few pills for infectious diseases such as dysentery. To protect the camp, in addition to guard towers and ring-shaped barbed wire, around the camp, on the southeast side, there was also a place for the Iraqis who frequently visited the barracks to rest and relax. A small room between the barracks was used as the barbershop of the prisoners which was run by Iranian captives.  The propaganda office of Mojahedin-e-Khalgh was located in the middle of the camp, where they had written books against the Islamic Republic and were trying to spread their own ideas; On the back of their clothes, they bore the Mojahedin Khalq logo. This was the only so-called cultural place in the camp .

According to the Geneva Law, the country holding the captives must pay a monthly salary to the captives until the end of the captivity, so that they can buy their required items from the store (→ monthly provision of captives). The camp store was located in the south-western part of the barrack and next to the water source and taps. At first, there was only one volume of the Holy Quran in the camp, which kept flitting through the barracks, but later, each barrack was provided with a volume of the Quran, which was used for memorization or recitation, and the prisoners who had the skill  taught it to other prisoners. (← Takrit camp facilities)

History and the dwellers of Takrit camp 20

The first group of prisoners who came to this camp were from Camps 11 (→ Takrit camp 11) and 12 (→ Takrit camp 12). About 200-300 of the Islamic militia, IRGC, soldiers and army officers lived in each barrack. This camp housed about 1400 prisoners, about 800 of whom entered this camp and lived in bloc A  after the identification of Camp 17 (Nahravan) by representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Most of the prisoners of this camp were captured by the Baathist forces during the enemy raids on July 21^st,1988 and July 31^st,1988, and the 41st Tharullah, 415th Kerman Battalion, Qazvin Armored regiment, 81st Bakhthran and Shiraz Airborne Divisions and scattered in the barracks. In January 1989, about 600 prisoners were transferred from Takrit camp 16 to  this camp and were settled in bloc B. Most of the prisoners were captured by the Baathist forces during the enemy raids on July 21^st,1988 and July 31^st,1988, and some of them were captured by the Baathist forces in Mersad operations as well as in reconnaissance operations .

Important events

One of the important events of this camp, which happened in September 1990, was the killing of one traitorous Iranian prisoner by two of his inmates; Saeed Zandi and Khodadad Nusrati, intriguing with Soleiman Shokry, had cut the jugular vein of the traitrous prisoner in the bathroom. After this incident, the Iraqis severely harassed these people and then sent them to Baghdad Intelligence in order to stand a trial.

End of the camp

The registration of the prisoners of this camp started on September 19^th,1990 by the Red Cross and continued until September 26^th,1990, thus Takrit camp 20 was evacuated and shut down.

See also

• Camp

Bibliography

Masoumeh Jafarzadeh