On January 17, 2020, at 9:30 pm, Ahmad Al Darraji was abducted at Tayaran square while returning home from participating in demonstrations at Tahrir square in Baghdad. His abduction was witnessed by bystanders who noted the perpetrators were dressed in civilian clothing and are believed to be members of a militia.
The following day, Al Darraji’s family filed a criminal complaint at the Baghdad police station and made enquiries with the Iraqi National Intelligence Service and the security department of Popular Mobilisation Forces.
Recently, a rising numbers of abductions by militia, acting with the authorisation, support, acquiescence or approval of the Iraqi Government, have been reported in Baghdad and are indicative of a pattern of enforced disappearances targeting peaceful anti-government demonstrators.
On January 22, 2020, MENA Rights Group and the Iraqi War Crimes Documentation Center requested the urgent intervention of the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances. On January 23, 2020, Al Darraji was released following a request by the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances that the Iraqi authorities take urgent action to locate him, place him under the protection of the law, and identify the perpetrators.