On January 7, 2017, while the victims, their father and uncle were having dinner in East Mosul, three armoured vehicles of the Iraqi army stopped in front of the house. 15 soldiers wearing balaclavas exited the vehicles, broke into the house and ordered the whole family to face the wall.
The soldiers then singled out the victims, arrested them and took them away, blindfolded and handcuffed. The soldiers informed their family that the victims would only be taken for a short investigation and would be released soon. However, they remain forcibly disappeared since the day of their arrest.
The victims’ family believe that the two brothers were arrested due to a third brother, Omar, who had been affiliated with ISIL. On March 10, 2017, the victims’ family handed Omar over to the Iraqi authorities. He is currently in detention.
Between 2018 and 2020, the victims’ family visited the Tilkaif Tasfirat detention facility in Tilkaif district of Ninewa four times, and the Faisaliya Tasfirat detention facility in Mosul district in Ninewa six times. Each time, they were told that the two brothers were not held at the detention facilities. In 2019, the family shared the cases with the ICRC and in 2020, they also contacted the Qatar Red Crescent Society. However, the steps taken by the family did not yield any results.
On June 17, 2021, MENA Rights Group requested the urgent intervention of the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances.
