Sunni Arab Truck Driver Tortured by PMF Files Lawsuit against Shi'ite Militias
Sunni Arab Truck Driver Tortured by PMF Files Lawsuit against Shi'ite Militias
He wants to be an example for many tortured individuals by Hashd forces ERBIL— A 32-year-old Sunni Arab truck driver from Kirkuk has filed a lawsuit against the Shi'ite Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) for torturing him and locking him in a room for 15 hours. Khalid Hamid, who transports goods through Kirkuk-Baghdad major road, told BasNews he was tortured on June 7, 2017 by the PMF militants as he was stopped at one of their checkpoints in Uzaim district, Diyala province. The paramilitary forces required Hamid to show his ID and "when they released I am a Sunni Arab, they handcuffed me and started to beat me with iron-chains until I fainted." "When I regained consciousness after almost 15 houses I found myself locked in a room close to the checkpoint and one of the militants came and told me: you are a terrorist." However, the militants later realized that Hamid is only conducting his own business and set him free. "Now I'm suffering from my wounds and get medical care every day," Hamid said, "I need to visit a dermatologist, too." The truck driver felt very sorry for himself, saying "torturing me without any reason has deeply affected my psychology because I did not do any crimes to be beaten up like that." Hamid who has already filed a lawsuit against the PMF militants insisted he pursues the case to obtain his right and "to become an example to the others who like me get tortured in the Hashd al-Shaabi checkpoints but keep silent." Often the Sunni Arab, Kurds and Turkmen drivers face serious challenges on Kirkuk-Baghdad road, not only due to the big number of pitfalls and the dangerous wrinkles along the asphalt route, but also due to establishment of several checkpoints by the Shi'ite militias. The drivers usually report they have been offended by the Shi'ite forces along the 180km route to Baghdad. The paramilitary forces have also established some facility which looks like a border gate, close to their checkpoint in Uzaim, where they allow the truck drivers from Kirkuk and the Kurdistan Region to pass only after they agree to pay the tax for the loads they carry. The customs point set up by Hashd forces is "illegal", said an informed source who demanded anonymity, describing the move as "stealing in the broad daylight." He added the collected money goes directly to the officials of different groups of Hashd al-Shaabi. The checkpoints also cause a big traffic jam which may delay the delivery of goods through Kirkuk-Baghdad road for three days, according to the source. PMF, which were recruited after the Islamic State (IS) occupation of large swathes of Iraqi territories, have been accused of committing human rights violations and war crimes.
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