Ramadi camp 13

One of the detention camps of Iranian prisoners.

Camp 13 of  Ramadi was used in early July 1988 (after the acceptance of the resolution) to accommodate Iranian prisoners, and the prisoners transferred to this camp were those who were captured in Iraq's attack in the last year of the war in areas such as Majnoon Islands or Western bank of Karkheh in July 1988. After thirteen days  (three days in Al-Amara and ten days in Istkhbarat or the intelligence Service of Iraq), the prisoners entered the camp.

Geographical and architectural characteristics

This camp was made up of three separate buildings or blocs and was located next to the entrance of the camp on the southern side. After entering the camp area, two main buildings could be seen, the building on the right (east) was called Bloc 1 and the one on the left (west) was called Bloc 2; In addition, there was another building behind Bloc 2 called Bloc 3.

All three blocs had two floors and dimensions of about seven and a half x 90 meters. These buildings were located in the western-eastern direction and the yard of each barrack was located in the southern part . On each floor, there were four barracks and two small rooms. Each barrack had ten windows with dimensions (1.5 x 1.17), five of which were  on the southern side and opened to the Bloc courtyard, and the other five windows were on the northern side and opened to the space behind the Bloc (which was sometimes the yard of another bloc). All the windows in the northern part of the barracks were covered by cement blocks and only a small opening was made above the windows (maximum 20 cm) for ventilation, but it did not have much effect. All the windows on the courtyard side were protected by a number of iron bars (5 or 6 round bars or metal corners). Some of these windows were equipped with latticework too. Two small rooms on each floor (four on each bloc) with dimensions of three (height) x four (width) x five (length) were located at the western end of the building, and they were used for various purposes, such as keeping detention of captives, or as tailor's workshop, barbershop, library, prison, warehouse and utility- room, etc.

In front of the barracks, there was a two-meter wide terrace along  the building and along each floor. To access the second floor, there were two staircases, one at the eastern end of the building and the other between barracks 2 and 3. For the lighting of the barracks, twelve double frames of neon (moonlight) lamps, totaling 24, were installed, and at night all the lamps should be left on for security reasons (according to the Iraqis).

Next to each bloc, there was a building measuring about fourteen by fourteen meters, which included , bathrooms, and toilets; Also, a room of about 15 square meters, where Iraqi soldiers were often stationed, and two small rooms that were used as solitary confinement. There was a building in the space between blocs, allocated to the kitchen with dimensions of about eight by ten meters.

The building was made of reinforced concrete and the facade consisted of stones that were very similar to plaster in terms of material. The camp yard was twenty to thirty meters wide in front and south of the building and was covered with dust. At the beginning, the courtyard was quite uneven, and to flatten it, the captives had to walk a lot in large groups; a process that would prove slow ,gradual and time-consuming.

The camps were surrounded by barbed wire (at least two meters high). The width of this barbed wire barrier, in some places, especially in front of the yard of the southern buildings (blocs), was almost equal to the width of the camp yard [about twenty-five meters]. Behind the barbed wire stood the guard room, kiosks and guard towers. The entrance to the camps was on the southern side.

History and dwellers of Ramadi camp 13

All three blocs of this camp were used to accommodate prisoners. In the 2nd bloc, most of the prisoners were from the Islamic militia forces, and in the 1st and 3rd blocs, most of the captives were from the army forces, especially the 21^st Hamzeh Division. Because the majority of the camp were soldiers and the Iraqis intended to use this number of prisoners as a tool for negotiation, so after 40 days of captivity, the Red Cross came to the camp and all the prisoners were registered. After 5 months , a number of teenaged and young prisoners from Ramadi Camp 2 (Camp 2) were brought to Camp 13.

Important events

1.   During the first three months of captivity, some of the prisoners who had become more compatible with the Baathists due to the heavy pressures, were in charge of the management of the camp. Little by little, the captives learned about their legal rights as to elect the functionaries of their own barracks. Therefore, after negotiating with the Iraqis, elections were held in each barrack and functionaries were elected, and I) Ali Akbar Erfany) was elected as the functionary of barrack 5. Our second approach was to bring everything in the entire camp under our control, and when the elections were held, I was again elected as the functionary of the camp. Of course, for the elections and with the aim of dispelling the suspicions of the Iraqis, we planned that among the 700 prisoners present in the camp, about 100 people would oppose the elected person. In this way, more peace and empathy were established in the camp and all scientific, educational, cultural and religious programs were followed in a peaceful atmosphere and in the form of a "small Islamic Republic".

2.   On the morning of June 14^th 1989, all the prisoners had gone to the barracks to have breakfast. I (see above) was walking in the yard because of my responsibility, when the radio of the camp suddenly interrupted the conversation of Haj Ahmed Khomeini. An hour later, the Baathists deployed a large number of tanks around the camp, much to the surprise of the prisoners. In the evening, the Iraqi commander of the camp passed by the barracks, and after mentioning the death of the Prophet, the caliphs or successors of the Prophet, Hazrat Ali, etc., broke the death news of Imam Khomeini. Although the prisoners had previously seen the image of the sick and suffering Imam in Iraqi newspapers and were mentally prepared for this news, a terrible silence reigned in the camp and the prisoners spent a very bitter night. Tomorrow evening, upon hearing the news of Ayatollah Khamenei's succession, the prisoners' sadness was slightly reduced and they became more hopeful for the future.

3.   There was a spy in the camp who stabbed  the prisoners in the back by informing  the Iraqis of captives plans and caused many problems by infiltrating into  every barrack. The captives decided to punish him for his disgraceful actions at a suitable time. Therefore, the necessary planning was done, and since Nowruz Holidays were upon us, I was assigned to take the Iraqi officer to the kitchen to show him how to prepare sweets and other delicacies related to Nowruz, and at the same time, the punishment team swung into action. Even though he was thoroughly beaten up, he managed to escape from the captives with a bloody head solicited the Iraqi officer for protection. He then took out three or four suspects from each barrack, who were flung into solitary confinement and endured harsh conditions. Finally, I talked to the Iraqi officer saying that it was Nowruz and he agreed to release them .

4.   In July 2018, a large number of influential captives were summoned to convene in the courtyard of the camp, and I was among them. I had heard from more experienced POWs that before moving the functionaries to a new camp or camps, they would settle accounts with them. The Baathists, like the first day of captivity, beat up the prisoners with everything they had and sent them to Camp 17 in Tikrit with injured bodies .

5.   Other important events in Camp 13 of Ramadi include the prisoners' strikes. A strike to protest against the confiscation of books  by Iraqis led to the victory of the prisoners. A strike to remove spies from the barrack, which led to the identification of a large number of spies. The strike to protest against the discontinuation of serving breakfast and especially bread, which was successful and soon they resumed serving breakfast and giving out bread. The strike to stop the dancing and merry-making of the Iraqis in the asylum and other strikes that were carried out with the patience of the prisoners of the camp.

6.   The camp authorities brought some air conditioners to the camp during the last month of the presence of Iranian prisoners  after Iraq`s attack on Kuwait. When the Iraqis were faced with the repeated questions of the Iranian prisoners, they answered that this place will be accommodating the Kuwaiti prisoners after you and that these air conditioners are also a part of the spoils taken in Kuwait.

See also

• Ramadi camp 1
• Ramadi camp 2
• Ramadi camp 3
• Ramadi camp 10

To read more

Khaji, Ali (1391). Description of the cage. Tehran: Payam Azadegan.

Deh Namaki, Massoud; Mazidiha, Jafar and others (1995). hidden embankment Tehran: Office of Research and Publications.

http://dehnamaki.com

Parvin Kashanizadeh