After Hisham al-Khozaei, another citizen dies in custody of torture in Basra
Shafaq News/ A young man who perished in a detention center in Basra was tortured to death, his father said on Friday, demanding the Minister of Interior, Othman el-Ghanmi, to launch an investigation into the case.
Mubarak al-Shammari told Shafaq News Agency that his son, Ali, was detained by the security personnel of a hospital in Basra downtown due to a brawl.
"He was later transferred to the Baradhiyah police station. Three hours later, his body was handed to us soulless with clear signs of torture on it," he said.
"We, al-Shammari tribe, respect the law. We demand the Minister of Interior, Othman el-Ghanmi, to start a fair investigation and hold those who killed my son liable."
Earlier this week, Tuesday, a citizen died in custody in Basra after being detained overnight by security forces.
Attorney Saleem Salem al-Khuzaei told Shafaq News Agency that a relative of him, Hisham al-Khozaei, was arrested by the Anti-Crime Department at a checkpoint in the northern entrance of Basra.
The lawyer said that the security forces mistakenly arrested Hisham while pursuing a wanted person with the same name.
"Hisham passed away on Tuesday from the gravity of torture he was put through during investigations to extract a confession for a crime he did not commit."
The family of the victim organized a demonstration to demand the circumstances of the demise of Hisham and demanded a transparent investigation into the incident.
A clarification the media office of the Basra Police department said that the deceased was wanted in accordance with Article 406 of the Penal code for being a suspect in a homicide, refuting social media allegations on "Names similarity".
"The defendant was released on July 27, 2020, after recording his statements, and he was handed over to his family," Basra Police said, "The Basra Governorate Police Directorate is closely following the results of the autopsy from the forensic medicine department on the causes of death. Legal measures will be taken against the negligent."
