Human rights group demands release of Briton under new Iraqi amnesty

November 15 2007

Human rights charity Fair Trials International has written to the Iraqi Prime Minister insisting that British man Mohammed Hussein be released under a general amnesty announced in that country on 11 November 2007.

Under the proposed amnesty, thousands of prisoners in Iraq could be released.

“One of those prisoners is Birmingham barber Mohammed Hussein, wrongfully convicted following a sham trial earlier this year in which he was found guilty of nothing more than having the misfortune to be in the Najaf area of Southern Iraq when it was attacked by insurgents,” said Fair Trials International Chief Executive Catherine Wolthuizen.

“Mohammed Hussein fled Iraq as a teenager and only returned to try to convince his elderly mother, chronically ill with diabetes, to return with him to the UK. While he, his wife and two-year-old son were staying with her in her Najaf village, the area came under attack on 27 January 2007, and she and his sister were killed.

“Despite calling emergency services and the British embassy at the time, and being known to American forces as a British family, all were taken into custody by Iraqi forces, where Mohammed claims he was badly tortured in efforts to force a confession to terrorist activities from him.

“After two months, his wife and child were released and allowed to return to the UK, but in August, Mohammed was subjected to a ten-minute trial on the charge of ‘being in the area of a terrorist attack’. His lawyer was not allowed to speak on his behalf and despite no evidence being brought of any other offence beyond having been in Najaf at the time of the attack, he was convicted along with 400 other defendants and sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment.

“His efforts to appeal his sentence have been frustrated by the failure of the court to record any evidence or reasons for his conviction. His health is failing and he has received few visits in prison from consular or aid workers.

“That he was convicted on the basis of such a vague charge and no evidence of involvement in terrorist activity is an indictment on the Iraqi justice system. The announcement this week of an amnesty by Prime Minister al-Maliki is an chance for the Iraqi government to right this terrible wrong, and allow Mr Hussein to return to his family and put this tragic episode behind him,” concluded Ms Wolthuizen.

Further background information is available at http://www.fairtrials.net

For comment, contact Catherine Wolthuizen on 020 7762 6400 or 07 846 472 923