Takrit camp 5
One of the detention camps of Iranian prisoners in Iraq.
Geographical and architectural characteristics
Camp 5, which was the first Iraqi camp in the Takrit region, consisted of two parts:
A: The main part of the camp was made up of two brick buildings measuring 5.6 x 6.5 meters and divided into two blocs. Each bloc also had three dormitories, so in total, this camp had six dormitories. In the area between the two blocs, a space of 450 square meters was allocated to sports activities such as volleyball or walking. In the eastern part of the courtyard of this camp, there were four rooms, made of sheds and timber, which were used as toilets and laundry facilities. In the southwestern part of the camp, there was a building measuring 26 x 12 meters consisting of two one-story brick buildings . One of them measuring 7.90 x 8.30 meters was used as WC and the other measuring 20.3 x 15 meters was used as the bathroom. From April 1984, this camp became the main place where Iranian prisoners of war were settled [1], specifically in Bloc 1 and Room No. 3 of Bloc 2.
Two other rooms (Room No. 1 and 2 of Bloc 2) were allocated to prisoners of war, with other ranks. Sanitary 1 exclusively accommodated pilots. The rooms had a space of 4 x 40.6 x 20.6 meters. Each room had an iron door measuring 1.2 x 20 meters that opened to a one meter wide corridor that led to a covered terrace with a width of 2.5 meters. Each room had 14 windows measuring 1.20 by 1 meter, the windows facing outside the camp were blocked except for a small outlet installed for ventilation. In each room, there were nine moonlight lamps and four to eight regular lamps. During the night, some of these lamps were not turned off. Only the officers had metal frame beds. On average, 35 people lived in the officers' rooms, and 50 to 60 people in the other rooms. Six sanatoriums were available to the officers and two sanatoriums
to the soldiers who were in charge of cooking and cleaning the camp.[1]
B: This part also consisted of three sanatoriums. Sanatoriums 1 and 2 were separated by a partition, and Sanatorium No. 3 was completely separate. In 1989, ventilators were installed for sanatoriums. The two parts A and B were completely separated and the people living there could not contact each other in any way. These two parts were nearly 20 meters apart and were separated from each other by a wall. In the northern part of the camp, there were three small rooms one used as an infirmary , the other as a kitchen and the last one as the sanatorium of the Iraqi guards, and in the northwest there were some toilets for the Iraqi employees. In Takrit 5, in order to prevent the prisoners from escaping, high voltage electricity was passed through the barbed wire so that they would be electrocuted if they attempted to escape.
History and dwellers of Takrit camp 5
The first group of Iranian prisoners (officers) entered this camp in April 1984. Until this date, Iranian officers, who were registered, were kept together with other prisoners in the camps, especially in Camp No. 8 of Anbar (→ Camp of Anbar). In March 1983, most of the captives from this camp were sent to the intelligence office and after spending a few days there, they were transferred to Camp 5 in April 1984. According to the report of the visiting delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross from this camp on October 14th 1986, 250 Iranian prisoners (141 officers and 109 people of other ranks) were present in this camp.[1] On May 13th 1987, 151 Iranian prisoners were transferred to Part B. 50 people were settled in each sanatorium. This camp was considered a penal one for registered Iranian prisoners who were in Musel and Ramadi camps (6). Iraqis used to send people from these camps to this place for punishment. People who, according to the Iraqis, were disrupting the order of the camp, or who played the role of leading and directing other prisoners in the camp, or who had a history of certain actions such as escaping or fighting with informers and spies ,or similar cases, were transferred to this camp. This group of prisoners was composed of of the Islamic militia forces, the IRGC members, army officers and clerics.
Three months after the arrival of this group of prisoners at the camp, that is, in August 1987, a delegation from the International Committee of the Red Cross came to visit the camp. One of the prominent leaders of the war prisoners who happened to be in this camp was Seyyed Ali Akbar Abu Torabi Fard (←Abu Torabi Fard, Seyyed Ali Akbar) who had been transferred to Takrit Camp 5 in late 1987 and was imprisoned there for about 14 months." [2] Iraqis were trying to create conflict between fans of various political parties and factions in the camp and in a manner of speaking to instigate disputes. One of the important issues in Camp 5 was factionalism and the leaning of officers and other prisoners towards particular groups and factions such as Hezbollah, nationalists, monarchists, and the like. [3](← History of Takrit camp 5)
Camp facilities
In addition to the bad weather, the lack of facilities was evident during the early days since the camp was set up. "Our captivity began in the new camp No. 5 of Salahuddin (→ the camp). There were three sanatoriums in this camp; each holding 40 captives. A wall separated us from the captured officers of our own army. The day after arrival, with the help of each other, we built two bathrooms and two toilets (→ toilets) in a corner of the small camp area with wood, board,hessian sack and tin."[4] In the first days, we had a three hour break time, which eventually reached six and seven hours. In this camp, the tortures had no specific limits. The camp was intended for enlisted officers and military figures. With the end of the war in 1988 and the efforts of the Red Cross, the Baathists gave pens, paper and books to the prisoners. (→ Takrit camp facilities 5).
Important event
After the exchange of prisoners, the Baathists kept the pilots and three senior officers in this camp for 20 days and then transferred them to Baghuba camp. This group returned to Iran as the last group along with other anonymous prisoners and Hujjat al-Islam Abu Torabi Fard (→Abu Torabi Fard, Seyyed Ali Akbar).
End of the camp
The prisoners of this camp, who were registered by the Red Cross, were exchanged in September 1990.
See also
Bibliography
- ↑ Jump up to: 1.0 1.1 1.2 Khaji, Ali (1391). Description of the cage. Tehran: Payam Azadegan, pp. 228 and 229.
- ↑ Ameli, Javad (1390) The life and struggles of Seyyed Ali Akbar Abu Torabi Fard. Tehran: Center for Islamic Revolution Documents, p. 230.
- ↑ Kazemi, Mohsen (1386). Moonless nights, Shahabuddin Shahbazi's memories, Ch 4. Tehran: Surah Mehr.
- ↑ Bakhtiari Daneshvar, Davud (2007). Life in the fog, memories of Yaqub Moradi, Ch. IV. Tehran: Surah Mehr, pp. 80-81.
To read more
Jafari, Mojtaba (2013). Takrit the inferno, third volume. Tehran: Surah Mehr.
Saleminejad, Abdul Reza (2009). The knowledge of the LCs, second volume. Tehran: Payam Azadegan.
Sarmastany, Jamshid, the beginning of life in the Takrit camp 5, retrieved on the 5th of March 2016, p.w.persianblog.ir
Asgar Hasanpour