Punishment and torture

The violent punishments that Iraqis inflicted upon Iranian prisoners.

Punishment

Punishment in captivity was, in fact, a kind of punishment for the prisoners for doing an act that was assumed as a violation of a rule which had been devised and approved of by the Iraqi officials of the camp. There were different types of punishment in captivity:

A) Physical punishments: 1. Individual and 2. Collective.

B) Psychological punishments: 1. Individual and 2. Collective.

Torture

As a term in Islamic jurisprudence, torture is discussed with the word "al-ta'zeeb" and the principle of punishment in the Arabic language means to beat and it is used for all punishments that are accompanied by pain and suffering. This word has been employed to express laborious and very difficult matters . In international laws, torture means any intentional act that causes severe physical or mental pain or suffering for a person in order to elicit information or get a confession from him or a third party. (Article 13 of the Third Geneva Convention and Article 130)

Torture and abuse of captives refer to cases in which a person or persons were abused and physically and mentally harmed by various methods in order to elicit information, which might take the following forms:

a) psychological or mental

b) Physical or corporal.

Torture and punishment in captivity   referred to all actions that the ruling  oppressor  took to achieve specific goals. These practices, which usually did not conform to social and military norms and principles, were applied in two ways, psychologically or physically. In each of the Iranian prisoners of war camps in Iraq, the punishment and torture were different given the type of behavior and violence committed by the Baathist agents; Perhaps, the type of harassment and torture for each prisoner was different, but what is stated about the punishment and torture of prisoners in this article are the things that  applied to most of the camps.

Punishment and physical torture

Punishment and physical torture refer to actions of the Iraqi soldiers and officials in a physical way, which caused a lot of pain and suffering for the Iranian prisoners. These actions were taken without any limitations with any weapons or even devices such as cables, hoses, batons, corners, sticks, or techniques like slapping and kicking, and anything that was desirable to torture the prisoners based on the personal taste of the Baathist soldiers or torturers:

Making  a  tunnel of death

The tunnel of death or terror was a situation that each and every Iranian prisoner experienced many times, and each of them has a bitter memory of it upon entering the camp, while being exiled  , and while being transferred to another camp: "The plan of the Iraqis was that whenever they wanted to transfer some people to a camp, in front of the camp door, some Baathist soldiers would stand opposite each other and make a corridor. The prisoners had to pass through this corridor and the soldiers, who were already prepared with batons, cables, corners, sticks, thick ropes, belts, etc., would start beating the prisoners. And sometimes these blows led to serious physical injuries or loss of some one`s limbs." (→ death tunnel punishment)

Bastinado

One of the most common Iraqi punishments was flogging, where two ends of a stick or a pole were tied to the feet of the prisoners with a rope. The method of punishment was such that the person was forced to lie on his back, and he would have to take both his socks and shoes off and the torturer would fix his feet between the strap and the bastinado rod." In this position, the Iraqi soldiers would twist the rope several times so that the person's feet were tightened between the rope and the rod, which caused excessive pressure and agony, and if the bastinado process took too long, the strap and the rod would begin to injure the captive`s feet including shins, calves, heels, and soles.

Beating up captives

One of the methods that Iraqi Baathist soldiers used a lot to punish Iranian prisoners with was beating them with crude weapons such as cables, hoses, and batons. The presence of Iraqi soldiers wielding cables in the camps was a normal and regular thing. Sometimes captives were forced to take off their shirts so that Iraqis could whip them on their backs with a cable. Sometimes, in this situation, water was poured on the bodies of the prisoners so that their bodies were completely wet, and the beating would be much more painful. In many cases, to enforce this punishment more effectively, the person they intended to hit was placed in a prostrate or semi-prostrate position and then they began to hit him. The cable that was used had a diameter of more than 2 cm and was extremely heavy, so it was very difficult to withstand the shocks of pain the captive had to experience once the cable hit his body. Iraqi soldiers used another type of cable, which was very flexible due to its small diameter. The cover of a few centimeters was removed from the end of this cable, and the internal wires remained outside. These wires were bent and made into clubs or rakes. When they hit someone with this cable, due to its flexibility, the cable would wrap around the body and the head of the rake would sink into the body. When the Iraqi soldier tried to pull the cable to open it from around the body, the head (wire) of the cable that was entangled into  the body would tear the skin and in some cases the muscles underneath it. This method caused deep wide gashes

Club

There were different types of club and sometimes the handle of a mop  or a thick branch of a tree were used. At times, the Iraqi soldiers used any means or tools available to them, such as pickaxes, iron rods, pieces of rebar, corners, etc. Unfortunately, as a result of severe beatings, a number of prisoners sustained severe injuries such as fracture of limbs.

Slapping the captives

Slapping was among the methods of punishing Iranian prisoners in the camps, in a way that people have witnessed in the camps every day. The important point in this regard was the spot or part of the captive`s body which would be slapped. The impact was made in such a way that the resulted force was more on the ears and skull. In some cases, it would lead to the rupture of the eardrum and hearing impairment.

Punching and kicking

Punishment with fists and kicks was   a very common method. Most of the blows landed on the face, legs, joints and genitals. A large number of Iranian prisoners sustained severe injuries such as broken jaws, noses, teeth, etc. as a result of this form of punishment.

Dangling captives   upside down from ceilinged fans

One of the methods of punishment was tying the feet of some captives to ceiling fans, while   the fan was adjusted  at a low or high speed  as they wished, and with its rotation, sometimes the captive's face would hit the wall, and sometimes while it was rotating, he was beaten with cables. In the report of the special committee of the World Red Cross regarding the inspection of the Salahuddin camp, it is stated: The prisoners were dangled upside down for hours by their hands and feet without their body touching the ground, and the duration was different. It lasted between 5 to 10 hours and sometimes up to 36 hours. This punishment was enforced in solitary cells by means of  grappling hooks that were hung from the ceiling, and captives were hung in such a way that they were exposed to the sun.

Solitary confinement

There was a small room next to the camp with an area of about one and a half to two meters, and all its holes were welded in such a way that almost nothing could be seen from outside, and it was used as solitary confinement for further punishment of some tough prisoners

In the cells that were made for one prisoner, thirty captives were kept for three days and nights; in such a way that everyone slept standing up ; Due to the compression and limited space, the lad`s arms and legs protruded out of the iron bars of the cells. Because our heads did not pass through the bars, there were a lot of bruises on our foreheads or any other part of the body which bore the extreme pressure .

Pulling the nails of captives out

In order to get a confession or to punish some Iranian prisoners, Iraqis used special tools to pull their fingernails and toenails out, which caused a sudden drop in blood pressure and sometimes led to unconsciousness. This torture was often enforced in the intelligence service of Iraq.

Throwing prisoners into the sewers of the camp

Due to the lack of sewage system, pits were dug in the camps where sewage gathered. Sometimes it was used as punishment; By throwing the prisoner into such a pit or better say a small moat for a long time in the cold or hot weather, he was tortured, and of course, sometimes they threw the prisoner into the bathroom sewer and caused him severe physical and mental pain.

"One cold winter morning, the Iraqis found an excuse to annoy the captives, specifically they threw one of the captives from Yazd (Ardakan) into the sewage pit so that only his face was visible and they pressed him on the head with their military  boots. ; After a few minutes, they took him out of the sewage pit while he was covered in dirt and shivering with cold."

Punishing captives for helping each other The Ba'athists were extremely nervous about the prisoners helping each other and if they were nabbed, they would severely be punished  .

"One of the prisoners, who had a shard of mortar inside his leg, was often late when moving towards the queue; The Iraqis surrounded him and hit him hard, when suddenly Mr. Abu Torabi Fard left the line and took Jalal by arm  to help him take his position in the line. For this reason, the Iraqis beat Mr. Abu Torabi Fard under the pretext of disrupting the order, so that his face was bruised."

Strict military discipline

Hierarchy existed in its most oppressive form in Iraq. The subordinate had no right to protest or express his opinion about the orders of his superior. When the superior's order was issued, the subordinate had to say: Aye, aye sir ! No less, no more. Otherwise, the superior could inflict all kinds of disciplinary punishments on him. He was even allowed to personally punish him .

Subjecting captives to electric shocks

It was among the most severe punishments and physical tortures, which sometimes led to heart or genital diseases.

Other forms of punishment

Suffocation, forcing captives to sit for long hours, keeping captives under the sun, spreading dirt, emptying the toilet bucket on top of each other, and burning the feet were other punishments inflicted by Baathist Iraqis  on the prisoners.

Punishment and pschological torture

Preventing religious duties

In the camps, all religious activities even the important rituals were forbidden and in spite of the fact that Iraqis apparently had no law against religious rituals and the like ,they got very jumpy when they found some captives engaged in some religious service; often they did not have a problem with praying, but especially collective religious services seemed to scare and irritate them.

Playing obscene songs from loudspeakers in the camp

Big loudspeakers were installed in the camps and small loudspeakers inside the sanatorium, which played Arabic and Persian songs so stridently from dawn to dusk and sometimes until midnight, which was very disgusting revolting .

Forcing prisoners to chant slogans against the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran

From the beginning to the end of the captivity, the Iraqis, using the excuses they had, tried to persuade the prisoners to insult the leaders of the revolution, which despite severe punishments and tortures, they were hardly successful and the prisoners strongly resisted against their demands.

"He told the Iraqis under the heavy blows and lashings, which reached the point of breaking the bones of his hands and jaws: I will never insult Imam Khomeini, even if you kill me and if I see him, I will kiss him from toes to turban and I am ready to die at his feet."

Forcing prisoners to beat each other

The Baathist officers forced the prisoners to beat each other, and if anyone protested, they would be severely punished.

Water stoppage

In order to put pressure on the prisoners, the Iraqis often cut off the water in the camps, which would lead to a deplorable health situation for a long time, and Iraqis would have to distribute drinking water among the prisoners in tankers. (→ Punishment for cutting off water)

Keeping captives thirsty and hungry

Contrary to international regulations (Articles 26 to 27 and Articles 129 to 131 of the Third Geneva Convention), Iranian prisoners of war did taste extreme thirst and hunger during their captivity at every turn. At the beginning of the captivity, thirst almost always hovered over the heads of  captives The Iraqis sometimes put the prisoners in a difficult situation for a few days by pouring detergents into their existing water ration and taking out the food and closing the doors.

” The Iraqi soldier opened the thermos and gave it to his superior an Iraqi major, he poured a small amount of water on my head, so that I felt the coldness of the water. I looked at his hand, which spillt the water from the thermos on the ground in front of my parched tongue.

Murky future and threatening to murder the captives

The successive threats to all the prisoners at the beginning of the captivity, as well as threatening to kill and torture the Unregistered and put them in solitary confinement, formed a completely unclear future for the Iranian prisoners, which left a profound impression on the souls of the LCs.

Torturing prominent and respectable people among the prisoners

Prominent and distinguished people such as clerics, commanders, officers and pilots, or old men who were respected among the prisoners, were sometimes tortured in front of others, and sometimes they were even excommunicated, and if anyone contacted them, they would be severely harassed and persecuted .

Other punishments and tortures

Some punishments  were enforced by the Iraqis only in some camps on a case-by-case basis, including:

1. Putting the prisoner in a bag and beating him;

2. Forcing the captive to shave his face with  razor whose blade was blunt; Sometimes 16 people had to shave with one razor;

3. Placing a hot iron on body parts;

4. Forcing sick and injured prisoners to run;

5. Placing concrete stones on the chest and hitting the prisoner's body with a cable;

6. Preventing captives from taking fresh air outside the prison;

7. Compulsory watching of  television and showing vulgar programs;

8. Entering the sanatorium at night and preventing prisoners from resting;

9. Preventing   prisoners from meeting their inmates;

10. Prohibiting captives from looking around the camp;

11. Unnecessary excuses;

12. Preventing the learning of knowledge;

13. Prohibition of using paper and pen;

14. Forcing captives to crawl on the ground and to squat-jump and keeping them under the sun for a long time;

15. Extinguishing cigarettes on the body of the captives

16. Forcing captives to roll without clothes on pieces of broken glass strewn on the ground

17. Forcing captives to sweep the camp yard with a broom in winter and summer;

18. Excruciating drudgery;

19. Tooth extraction without anesthesia;

20. Minor surgeries without anesthesia;

21. Interfering with the letters of the LCs and fabricating emotionally disturbing news;

22. Repeating counting process at night and in quick succession;

23. Non-registration of the prisoner in the Red Cross and as a result the impossibility of writing letters and complete lack of news from the family.

See also

• Punishment and physical torture
• Punishment and psychological torture