The city of Tikrit was liberated from the control of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in April 2015. However, neighbouring localities, including Jazirat Tikrit locality, remained areas of conflict between ISIL and the Iraqi state forces until March 2016.
On March 1, 2016, Iraqi Federal Police forced 491 men of the Jazirat Tikrit locality, whose ages ranged from 15 to 50 years, to accompany them to an area located on the outskirt of Jawza village, situated in the Jazirat Tikrit locality. The men’s identity documents were checked to determine whether they posed a security risk and all the men were subsequently released.
On March 3, 2016, members of the Wasit Governorate regiment (south-east of Baghdad), of the Asa’ib Ahl Al Haq militia, arrived at the Jazirat Tikrit locality and surrounded it. They ordered all men to leave their homes before gathering them in Jawza village. There, they were held by members of the Asa’ib Ahl Al Haq militia until the evening, when large buses and trucks arrived. According to estimates, 239 men were forced onto the vehicles and taken to an unknown location.
The Asa’ib Ahl Al Haq militia is a part of the Popular Mobilisation Units (PMU), an umbrella organisation composed of several militias which was formally integrated into Iraq’s security forces on March 8, 2018. These militias supported the Iraqi armed forces during the fight against ISIL. Reports suggest that the PMU was responsible for abducting over 1,000 people in the Saladin Governorate in 2016, under the pretext of interrogating them to uncover who was affiliated with ISIL.
On February 19, 2020, MENA Rights Group requested the urgent intervention of the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances, requesting that the Iraqi authorities take urgent action to locate the 55 men and place them under the protection of the law. Their fates and whereabouts remain unknown.
*The 55 individuals for whom cases were submitted are:
1. Thamir Al Mohammadi
2. Amer Al Mohammadi
3. Imad Al Mohammadi
4. Alaa Al Mohammadi
5. Mokhlis Al Mohammadi
6. Ali Al Mohammadi
7. Iyad Al Mohammadi
8. Layth Al Mohammadi
9. Idriss Al Mohammadi
10. Bassim Al Mohammadi
11. Khalid Al Mohammadi
12. Mahmoud Al Mohammadi
13. Yassin Al Mohammadi
14. Saoud Al Mohammadi
15. Omar Al Mohammadi
16. Ibrahim Al Mohammadi
17. Hamid Al Mohammadi
18. Latif Al Mohammadi
19. Mohammad Al Mohammadi
20. Omar Al Mohammadi
21. Mahmoud Al Mohammadi
22. Majid Al Mohammadi
23. Younis Al Mohammadi
24. Suhail Al Mohammadi
25. Nouri Al Mohammadi
26. Ibrahim Al Mohammadi
27. Thamir Al Mohammadi
28. Amer Al Mohammadi
29. Aqeel Al Mohammadi
30. Ihsan Al Mohammadi
31. Ahmad Al Mohammadi
32. Sabah Al Mohammadi
33. Jassam Al Mohammadi
34. Kassim Al Mohammadi
35. Najim Al Mohammadi
36. Abed Al Mohammadi
37. Arkan Al Mohammadi
38. Marwan Al Mohammadi
39. Qahtan Al Mohammadi
40. Jumaa Al Mohammadi
41. Riad Al Mohammadi
42. Ahmed Al Mohammadi
43. Riad Al Mohammadi
44. Shehab Al Mohammadi
45. Diaa Al Mohammadi
46. Suhail Al Mohammadi
47. Mustapha Al Mohammadi
48. Youssef Al Mohammadi
49. Moussa Al Mohammadi
50. Naseer Al Mohammadi
51. Samir Al Mohammadi
52. Ahmad Al Mohammadi
53. Farhan Al Mohammadi
54. Alaa Al Mohammadi
55. Mahmoud Al Mohammadi
