Shafaq News/ A senior official of the Independent High Commission for Human Rights (IHCHR) in Basra demanded the Iraqi Ministry of Interior to halt human rights violations inside the governorate's detention centers in the aftermath math of a third death in custody within less than two weeks.

In a statement issued earlier today, Saturday, office director Mahdi al-Tamimi said, "We demand the Presidium of the Security Committee in Basra and the Ministry of Interior to disclose the results of the investigations into the death of three detainees in custody."

Al-Tamimi called for "holding the culprits accountable pursuant to law and abiding by the decrees of the Supreme Judicial Council, especially in the part related to the criminal case."

IHCHR's office director reiterated the need to address the issue of crowded detention centers, particularly after detecting COVID-19 cases among the detainees.

The office, according to al-Tamimi, has conducted hundreds of visits to prisons and detention centers to report mistreatment, torture, crowdedness, and lagging investigations, particularly after the death of Mahmoud Hafedh Kadhem who died in the custody of Anti-Crime within less than a month from two other deaths."

"Preliminary investigations indicate that he passed away from COVID-19," he added, "tomorrow's medical report will confirm the cause of death."