Muhammad Ali al-Hamad

Muhammad Ali al-Hamad, a family man, worked as a carpenter before selling mobile phones and providing internet services. He was arrested in 2016 for using a secret internet server rather than one controlled by ISIS, though he stresses that he took careful precautions.

Muhammad says that one reason for his arrest was that he belonged to the Shaitat clan. He was also accused of sending information and coordinates about ISIS to “hostile” parties.

Muhammad points on a screen to the Halawa prison entrance and the surrounding yard. He explains that the prison was composed of two floors, with two group cells and four solitary cells on the ground floor, and investigation rooms on the upper floor.

Muhammad recounts how he was held in a solitary cell for about four hours when he arrived in the prison. The next morning he was transferred to the group cell, where he remained for four days before being summoned for interrogation. He was interrogated twice. The first interrogation focused on his internet use, and the second on the Shaitat fighters and their weapon caches. On both occasions, the questions were accompanied by beatings, including with cables and green water hoses.

Muhammad believes the interrogators aimed to achieve three objectives with their torture: to take revenge on the Shaitat, to intimidate the detainees, and to extract any information that might be useful.

He describes the solitary cell and its contents. He recalls the pitch-black darkness, and how the prisoners became aware of rats when they brushed against their bodies. He also names some prisoners, the charges made against them, and the noms de guerre used by some of the guards.

He also recalls the moment he and his friends learned about the execution of a prisoner in another facility because of his internet use. They asked a guard for more details, who informed them that evidence had been found of communication between that detainee and foreign parties. It was considered that this proved his involvement in anti-ISIS acts.

Muhammad says that the prisoners he encountered in the two group cells spent their time praying and reading the Quran, and that relations between them were good. They took care of each other, and particularly of those injured by torture.

He says that visits were completely prohibited in Halawa Prison. He adds that one prisoner received special treatment and was released early because he had relatives who had fought alongside ISIS.

Regarding hygiene, he notes that the group cells were in better condition than the solitary cells because the prisoners cleaned them together. When the water was cut off in the group cells, the prisoners were told to bring water for washing and cooking from the solitary cells. Despite the prisoners’ efforts to maintain hygiene, skin and respiratory diseases spread due to a lack of healthcare.

Muhammad also talks about the bathroom, which was separated from the group cell by a curtain. He emphasizes that the prisoners were provided with no cleaning products, so they made sure to pour plenty of water in the bathroom to prevent foul odors from spreading to the group cell.

Muhammad indicates that the food provided, including canned goods and bread, came from the shops that ISIS seized. He notes that food was plentiful at the time of the jailer “Abu Ubaida”. It even included chicken. When the jailer “Abu Dajana” was present, however, food was rationed. Muhammad mentions that prisoners sometimes prepared food in the kitchen.

Regarding his release, Muhammad says the detainees charged with accessing the internet in private were called and their belongings were returned. Then they were blindfolded and transported by car to the Qahawi area. Muhammad recalls the moment when he was let out of the vehicle: “Although it was my area, I did not recognize it when they first removed the blindfold from my eyes.”