Musel camp 3
One of the detention camps of Iranian prisoners in Iraq.
musel 3 was the last unit of the camps in the musel region and the smallest camp in this region. That is why it was called small musel . This camp was located on the western side of musel city and was one of the four military barracks in northern Iraq, which after the start of the war, was turned into a place to keep Iranian prisoners. The Iraqis named these four camps in chronological order that is to say musel camp 1 was set up a lot earlier than the other ones and musel camp 4 was the most recent one. Therefore,musel camp 3 was known as musel 4 because it was the fourth camp housing Iranian prisoners in the city of musel . At the end of 1982, the International Committee of the Red Cross started naming the camps of Iranian prisoners, which was done in the order of the placement of the camps, and also because this was the third camp in the city of musel , it was known as musel 3[1].
Geographical and architectural characteristics
The dimensions of this camp were 180 x 80 square meters and around it there was a yard of 50 x 150 square meters plus a circular tower in each corner. Vegetables were planted in two-thirds of the yard and the other third was used as the sports field. Prisoners lived in seven asylums (five large asylums and two small ones) and did not have access to the upper floor. There were four sanatoriums on the right side and one on the left side of the camp. There were several empty rooms on each side, which were used in the following order:
Left side: library, store, barbershop and tailor`s workshop. The punishment cell measured 5x20 square meters with an iron door 3 meters high and windows with iron bars that opened to the yard. Inside this cell, there was a fan on the ceiling and six moonlight lamps, and it had oppressive heat and inadequate air flow.
Right side: kitchen, room of kitchen staff, room of representatives of the detention center and sanatorium for patients.
Like the rest of the musel camps, there was an oblong courtyard in the camp in the south of the building . After entering the courtyard, one would find the sanatoriums on the eastern and western sides[2]. A 4-meter-wide cement road was stretched towards the end of the detention center and crossed in the middle of the yard. A covered-in terrace with a width of 3 meters overlooked the yard and its two sides were 150 meters long[3].
Each large room had two iron doors, one of which opened to the courtyard, but was always closed. It had twelve windows with dimensions of 0.8 x 1.8 meters facing the yard and these windows were guarded by iron bars. The smaller windows facing the outside were blocked with cement. Inside the rooms, there were eight ceiling fans that were controlled by the prisoners. Sixteen double moonlight lamps, some of which were burned out, provided the light of the rooms. These lamps were on even when the prisoners were sleeping. There were pegs on the walls and the prisoners could hang their clothes. The Iraqis had installed loudspeakers inside the sanatoriums and broadcast programs through them as they saw fit.
History and dwellers of musel camp 3
How this camp was set up differed from other camps. The Iraqis brought a number of Iranian prisoners to this camp several times, and for unknown reasons, after a few months, they transferred all of them to other camps, and the camp remained uninhabited for several months[3].
The first group of prisoners consisting of 700 people, came to this camp in the winter of 1982 after the conflict in the musel camp 2, and some time later they were transferred to other camps. In 1983, about 150 prisoners were brought from mousel camp 4 and three months later they were taken back to the same camp, where Hojjat ol-Islam Seyyed Ali Akbar Abu Torabi Fard was serving his time as a captive. At the beginning of May 1984, about 200 prisoners were brought to this camp, and after two or three months, another 500 prisoners came from the musel camp 4, and most of these people stayed in this camp until the summer of 1988[4].
After the end of the war in the summer of 1987, the Iraqis captured a number of Iranians and placed them in different camps. About 900 new prisoners were also brought to the musel camp 3. For this reason, the camp was also called "musel of 1988 captives". The prisoners of this camp were mainly from the 21st Hamzah and 77th Mashhad divisions. About two months had passed since the captivity of these people when they were registered by the Red Cross. The new group of prisoners was settled in this place until August 1990[3].(the calendar of musel camp 3)
Important events
1. Before the governor of musel entered the camp, the Iraqis had propagandized about his influence and ability to solve the problems and to meet the needs of the prisoners, but when he came to the camp, except for a few Iranian officials of the camp, who had to keep in touch with him, others distanced themselves from the governor and no request was made to him, which surprised the Iraqi soldiers as well as the governor himself.
2. Iraqis, during the inspection of the WCs of the camp, found one of the Arabic newspapers with Saddam's photo, which caused the prisoners to be punished and imprisoned in the enclosure of the sanatoriums.
3. In 1985, a drama was staged in which the image of Saddam and the Arab leaders were displayed in the form of caricatures on wooden boards, and the message was that America manipulated them like puppets. Although the drama was being staged in the 6th Asylum in compliance with security rules, the security guards took the hint and immediately and quickly entered the asylum, stopped the show and seized the equipment. The Iraqi commander of the camp was fairly reasonable and with the interference of the camp functionaries, the matter ended well[5].
4. In 1990, the prisoners decided to punish some of the spies (→espionage) and beat them up during a strike. Following this incident, the Iraqis imprisoned Seyyed Ataollah Rahmani, the functionary of the camp. The prisoners also went on strike. Seeing the prisoners' strike, the Iraqis released Seyyed Ataullah Rahmani from prison after four or five days.
See also
Bibliography
- ↑ Zekriyayee, Maryam Sadat (1390). LCs memories at the moment of the year turning new. Mazandaran: Editing and Publishing Committee of the Congress of Generals and Ten Thousand Martyrs of Mazandaran Province.
- ↑ Dai, Ali (2007). Violation of the rights of Iranian prisoners of war and the international responsibility of the Iraqi government. Tehran: Payam Azadegan.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Khaji, Ali (1391). Description of cages, prisoner of war camps. Tehran: Payam Azadegan.
- ↑ Kamvar Bakshaish, Javad (2014). Musel prison Tehran: Surah Mehr.
- ↑ Hashemi, Ali Akbar (1398). Interview. Dated 13 September 2018.
To read more
Ashrafi, Morteza (2014). "War, humanitarian rights prisoners, Geneva Convention, peace, political science". Tehran: Bagheral Uloom Research Institute (AS).
Maryam Sadat Zekriyayee