Khalaf Ahmad al-Muhammad

Khalaf Ahmad al-Muhammad is a father of four and a graduate of the Faculty of Economics. He worked as a teacher and engaged in various freelance professions while moving between the Kishkiyya and Sousa areas in Bukamal, Deir ez-Zor, during ISIS’s control of the region.

Khalaf was arrested in early 2015 by members of ISIS, who spoke both Iraqi and Syrian dialects. They took him from his home at two o’clock in the morning and transported him to the Battar Battalion Prison in the Hawi area. This facility was a two-story house seized by ISIS, which converted its rooms into detention, interrogation, and torture chambers.

At the entrance to the house, Khalaf recounts how he arrived blindfolded and handcuffed. He discusses the suffering of the prisoners and their fear that they would never leave this place alive.

The witness explains that ISIS arrested him because it accused him of being present at the local hospital in order to help injured Shaitat fighters. However, he denied the accusation, asserting that he was there to assist a family member in need of medical attention.

Khalaf recounts undergoing interrogation twice, during which he was subjected to various forms of torture, including suspension, beatings, slapping, and lashings with a whip and sticks.

He notes that the guards were from different regions of Syria and Iraq, as was evident from their accents, and he mentions the names of some ISIS members and officials. He discusses the unusual vocabulary he heard them using. He also recalls the names of some fellow inmates, who were labeled by the guards as “infidels” and “apostates.”

Filmed moving between the investigation and torture rooms, the witness recalls the questions he was asked about his presence at the hospital and his alleged membership in the Free Syrian Army. Upon reaching the torture room, Khalaf describes the forms of torture he endured, particularly being hung from the ceiling, flogged, and beaten.

Since he was blindfolded, he wasn’t able to recognize the faces of the interrogators, guards, or torturers, nor did he see the contents of most of the rooms he was taken to. However, he describes the group cell and its contents, particularly the “poor” level of hygiene and the “scarce” food provided.

Khalaf says that prisoners were unable to shower due to a lack of water. They were allowed to use the toilet only twice a day and in a hurry. He emphasizes that medical care was “nonexistent.”

After twenty-three days of detention, interrogation, and torture, the judge (of Iraqi nationality) confirmed Khalaf’s innocence and ordered his release. ISIS members transported him by car to the Ashara Bridge and released him there. He returned to his family, who had not expected to see him alive again.