Unlawful Detention and Alleged Torture of Activist Sparks Outrage in Dhi Qar
Shafaq News/ The family of Larry Abbas, a prominent civil activist based in Dhi Qar, vehemently denounced the seemingly arbitrary arrest of their son by unidentified security operatives, likening it to a brazen "abduction from the street."
The family asserted that Abbas, in a flagrant violation of human rights, was subjected to extreme torture predicated on spurious allegations.
"My brother, a 2005-born and an active participant in community development, had recently indulged in an artistic endeavour, embellishing one of the walls adjacent to the Nasiriyah municipality's lobby with a portrait of the revered, late poet, Aryan al-Sayyid Khalaf - an homage that mirrored the existing statue of the poet located in the lobby," Abbas, Larry's brother, told Shafaq News Agency.
However, he added, a certain faction perceived this creative initiative as an insidious glorification of the outlawed Baath party, attributing a misleading narrative that implicated his brother in portraying Saddam Hussein on the walls instead of Khalaf.
A mere two days following this incident, undercover agents in Nasiriyah "abducted my brother off the street, disregarding any semblance of a judicial order - a fact corroborated by the information at our disposal."
Ahmed said Larry had endured relentless, aggressive torture in the custody of the intelligence officers who extracted falsified confessions from him.
"My brother found himself at liberty last night, albeit following a coerced pledge to refrain from wall painting and glorifying the Baath party's slogans henceforth - a baseless accusation since he bears no nexus to this cause, considering his birth occurred two years post the fall of the Baath."
"The family held a protest today in Nasiriyah. Our demand was simple - a revocation of the arbitrary pledge and a formal apology to my brother, an innocent activist ensnared in a web of false accusations."
Larry faced accusations of receiving pecuniary benefits from entities allegedly linked to the Baath party. Ahmed categorically refuted those claims, elucidating, "My brother indeed entertains dealings with several globally recognized organizations, attributable to his stature as a community activist. However, we vehemently deny any insinuations linking him to suspicious entities."
The arrest of the young activist in Dhi Qar made headlines on local media and social media platforms. Larry had been involved in launching the 'This is not my garbage, but this is my country' initiative, an endeavour committed to cleaning the Nasiriyah's streets and drawing vibrant paintings of renowned figures and picturesque landscapes on its walls.
