Clothing

In the early years of the war, Iranian prisoners of war (POWs) were sometimes held for months in Iraqi border prisons or camps wearing nothing but the same worn-out khaki combat uniforms they had been captured in. The Iraqi army had no specific provisions for prisoner clothing, and many captives went barefoot, clad in rags, or in some cases naked.

As the number of Iranian prisoners grew, a clothing allowance was introduced which included one duffel bag or military backpack, a dishdasha, sneakers, slippers, a mirror, a razor, underwear, an undershirt, socks, a military uniform in maroon, green, or khaki, and later yellow, as well as a metal mug, two blankets, and a foam pillow.

Since the policies governing the detention and treatment of prisoners were modeled on those for ordinary Iraqi soldiers, the clothing allowance for POWs was initially the same as that of Iraqi troops. In practice, however, various factors meant that some items were missing, the total supply was cut to as little as one‑third of what was needed, and distribution, originally scheduled twice a year, was reduced to once a year. This was particularly common in camps not visited by the Red Cross, where missing prisoners were held. After the Islamic Republic of Iran accepted Resolution 598 in 1988, clothing rations were suspended entirely for a full year. In camps visited by the Red Cross, prisoners were required to write their name, their father's name, and their Red Cross number on the chest of their uniforms. Because the prisoners' uniforms closely resembled those of Iraqi soldiers, some camps began using identifying marks such as a red cross on the back of the clothing. Repeated demands by International Red Cross delegates that prisoner attire be clearly distinguishable, combined with an escape by a prisoner who had exploited the resemblance to Iraqi military dress, led to the introduction in 1987 of a special yellow uniform with the letters P.O.W. (Prisoner of War) printed on the back, which was included in the clothing allotment. In some Iraqi camps, a sewing machine was also available for mending clothes.

Due to shortages of water, laundry powder, and soap, clothing was often washed only infrequently in certain camps, especially those for missing persons, giving rise to health problems such as scabies and lice infestations.

The Iranian prisoners made every possible effort with the meager resources at hand to use water for washing themselves and their clothes. But the scarcity of clothing only compounded their difficulties. In Tikrit’s Camp No.12, for instance, each prisoner had been provided with only one set of clothing, so they were forced to wait in their underwear for long stretches of time while their single outfit dried in the sun.

Under the Iran-Iraq agreement, upon release, prisoners were to be given a set of khaki clothes, a set of leisurewear, and a pair of sneakers, though even then, not all prisoners were treated equally.

See also

• Clothing

• Washing and Bathing

Author

Mohammad Reza Kaeeni