The Iraqi Authorities sentenced 3 young men to a life imprisonment on charges of “joining ISIS”, who they escaped from during its attack on their city Ein Al-Arab (Kobani)

The Syrian Observatory demands the Iraqi authorities to release the young men and calls upon organization to pressure to release them

Reliable sources informed the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that 3 young men from Ein Al-Arab city (Kobani), which witnessed late 2014 and beginning of 2015, violent battles between the Kurdish forces against the “Islamic State” organization, were arrested in the Iraqi territories and sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of “joining the Islamic State”, and in the details obtained by the SOHR, the three young men, who are 2 brothers and their cousin ((Mohamed Qoul Aghasi born in 1986, and his brother Idris Mohamed Qoul Aghasi born in 1982, in addition to their cousin Mohamed Hussein Qoul Aghasi born in 1999)), and aged 35, 31, and 18, were detained by the Iraqi security services in Mosul area, on their way from Mosul to Iraqi Kurdistan, in order to work in digging water wells, and the families of the three young men informed the Syrian Observatory that their sons received official work permits from the Iraqi Intelligence and the Joint Operation Command, and during their presence in their work areas, they were detained by the Iraqi intelligence, on charges of “joining ISIS”, where they were transferred to the Iraqi Prison of Al-Mathna Airport and detained there for 3 days by the Iraqi Intelligence Service. The families of the detainees, who had previously escaped to Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan Region during ISIS attack on the city of Ein Al-Arab (Kobani), have admitted their charges after sever torture by Iraqi security services.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned from the families of the detainees and other reliable sources that the young men were sentenced to life imprisonment, despite their denial before the court, which was informed that they admitted these charges after violent torture, but the judge adopted their testimonies submitted by the Intelligence, which they admitted under torture. The judge ruled out that they are guilty with the charges against them which are: “providing logistic support to ISIS organization and helping the organization in committing its crimes and participating with the organization in attacking the Iraqi security and military forces, as well as working with the organization as a group assigned to manufacturing armors for the organization”, and the court added that “the denial of these charges does not diminish the evidence against them and that the aim of their denial is impunity. The court justified its ruling:” this evidence is sufficient and convincing to criminalize the three defendants Mohamed Hussein Qoul, Idris Mohamed Suleiman and Shaheen Mohamed Suleiman “.

We in the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights call upon the judiciary and security authorities in Iraq to release the three young men immediately, who were detained and accused of dealing with the organization of the “Islamic State”, even though they are people from the city, which was violently attacked by the organization in 2014 and 2015, and also witnessed a massacre that claimed the lives of 225 civilians from the people of the city, who were killed and slaughtered by the members of the organization. We also call upon international organizations that have influence on the Iraqi authorities to release the three young men and bring them back to their families who have fled their city as a result of the violent attack by the organization.