Army officer rapes minor, unit refuses to turn him in

The rape of a minor by an Iraqi army officer and three of his soldiers in the northern city of Mosul has ignited outrage in local Iraqi people. His unit has refused to turn him over, claiming legal immunity despite the existence of a warrant for his arrest. A relative of the victim explained the story to Arabstoday.  He said that the 13 year old was doing household chores at the door of her family’s home in a village on the outskirts of Mosul before she went missing Tuesday evening. The relative has asked that the victim and her family not be named and that their location not be disclosed due to the sensitivity of the issue. The relative told Arabstoday that the girl’s family started to look for her all over the village when she disappeared but failed to find her. They reported her disappearance to army and police checkpoints spread around the area and did everything they could to find her themselves. The following day, the relative said, the family received information that an Imam at a Falastine- district mosque near the eastern entrance into Mosul had found a girl the same age as their missing relative and was looking after her. It turned out to be the same girl and the family picked her up. The relative went on to explain that the girl was found “psychologically and mentally shattered.” He went on: “She told us the details of her kidnapping. She explained how the Iraqi army First lieutenant drugged her before raping her. The day after, she broke down further, vomiting periodically.” The 50 year old relative demanded that Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, order the execution of the officer and that the sentence is performed “in the location of the crime, to be a lesson to others.” The man threatened a “tribal uprising” by his extended family “stretching to all Iraqi provinces” if this was not carried-out. The authorities have meanwhile said that judicial proceedings were ongoing and that a arrest warrant against the officer (who has been identified) has already been issued. The officer’s unit, however, are refusing to turn him in, claiming “military immunity” that prevents them for handing over military personnel without the approval of the Defence Minister. However, the Nineveh Operations Commander says the approval has already been given. Despite the assurance that all judicial routes are being pursued, neither the governor of Nineveh, nor the girl’s family are satisfied. The governor is closely following the case but is incapable of taking an executive measure in response to the scathing criticism to which state agencies have been subjected since the incident. The girl’s family, meanwhile, are threatening a “tribal uprising” to avenge their “impudently violated honour.” Governor Atheel Al-Nujaifi told Arabstoday that the Nineveh Operations Commander had personally informed him that they have acquired the necessary approval to apprehend the officer along with the three soldiers who assisted him. “The city of Mosul has witnessed a tragic incident and one that shames those who committed it,” Al-Nujaifi said, adding that the officer responsible was “under arrest at his military unit along with three soldiers who facilitated the act.” He confirmed that the girl was “kidnapped in the evening and taken to the officer’s room and raped.” Al-Nujaifi also criticised military policy in the country, saying that the immunity given by the General Commander of the Armed Forces to the officer was “misplaced,” especially, he said “when it comes to crimes of this nature.” The Justice and Reform Movement (JRM) led by Sheikh Sheikh Abdullah Humeidy Ajil Al-Yawar, which occupies 10 out of the 35 seats at the Nineveh provincial council, has announced it would “suspend its membership until the officer is presented before the law to meet his just reward.” JRM council member Aburreheim Al-Shemari told Arabstoday that the members of the movement “suspended their membership during the Wednesday session due to the rape committed by the Iraqi army officer.” The move by JRM members caused the session to be halted, he said, before adding “the members will not return until the criminals who committed this crime have received the maximum punishment.” He added: “The army exists to protect the citizens’ lives, dignity and possessions, not to rape.” The incident comes amid great controversy in political circles over similar incidents committed by security personnel against female inmates in Iraqi prisons and prison camps. The Chairperson of the Women’s Parliamentary Committee Intissar Al-Jabbury presented the parliament on November 29 with a report on the conditions of female prisoners. The report, which said women were subjected to torture and rape, ignited a great deal of controversy among the various political parties loyal to the government and opposed to it. Despite parliament voting to form an investigation committee two days later, the committee failed to produce a decisive outcome. Testimonies by 14 prisoners said they were “threatened” with rape but not actually raped, while other judicial reports which have been leaked indicate that some members of the security forces have been engaged in the “methodical torture and rape of female prisoners.” On November 28, the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior denied reports of women being arrested and tortured to illicit confessions against their husbands. The ministry insisted that all female detainees were arrested by legal means and by force of a judicial warrant, calling on local and international agencies to visit ministry facilities to look into the “fraudulent and false claims.” Amnesty International had released a report in 2011 which put the number of women detained in Iraqi prisons without judicial sentencing at over 30,000. The report cited the death of several prisoners from torture and mistreatment by questioners or prison guards.