Sarmad Al Zubaidi was originally from the Al Salam neighborhood in Baghdad and was working in a phone shop before he disappeared. On November 5, 2019, Al Zubaidi and two of his friends were on their way to Tahrir square to join an anti-government demonstration when they were suddenly stopped by a group of men wearing black uniforms with no distinctive mark, where they were handcuffed and forced into Chevrolet Tahoe SUVs before being driven to an unknown destination.

The abduction occurred near a checkpoint called “Abu Disher 2”, which was controlled by members of the Iraqi army and police. Although army and police personnel witnessed the arrest, they did not intervene to prevent the abduction. Two days afterwards, Al Zubaidi’s two friends were released in the Sha’ab neighbourhood in Baghdad.

On November 14, 2019, Al Zubaidi’s family filed a complaint at Saydiyah police station in Baghdad. In mid-December 2019, the family also enquired about his fate and whereabouts at the Federal Supreme Court and at the Iraqi Human Rights Commission, Iraq’s National Human Rights Institution (NHRI), but to no avail.

On February 28, 2020, MENA Rights Group requested the urgent intervention of the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances.

On March 11, 2020, Al Zubaidi was released.