Nayef Ahmad Hasan Hamdoun

Nayef Ahmad Hasan Hamdoun is married and has five sons and one daughter. He worked as a laborer before ISIS took control of Mosul. He has since returned to that job. He recalls being arrested before the end of Ramadan after someone reported him. Nayef had defended members of the Iraqi Police, arguing that they should be pardoned by ISIS because Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi himself had pardoned them. He mentioned ISIS negatively, which led to two people reporting him, one of whom happened to be his brother.

Nayef was taken to the Majmoa al-Thaqafiya (Culture Compound), a detention center in the Hammam region, where he was interrogated and then finally transferred to the Ahdath Prison. Among the ISIS members who escorted him were his brother and one of his nephews.

Nayef says that he heard the voices of women when he entered the prison. When his blindfold was removed, he saw prisoners being tortured. He then lists the names and charges brought against the prisoners. The prisoners included individuals who had run for office, journalists, and people of varying backgrounds who were charged with spying for the Iraqi government. One man was arrested simply because his sons had joined the police force. Nayef would later take care of this man after he was injured in an airstrike that targeted the prison. The guards, on the other hand, neglected his injuries.

He recounts the state of horror the prisoners were always in. Although the inmates spent a lot of time talking to each other, they would turn speechless when they heard that ISIS members had arrived with an axe (this needs clarification). The guards would enter the group cell at night dressed in camouflage and handcuff several prisoners before bringing in new detainees. The guards would change on a weekly basis; however, one jailer remained present the whole time. He was known as Abu Razan. He was a short man who was very harsh when interrogating prisoners; he tortured everyone. He also lied that prisoners had attempted to escape so that a punishment was imposed on everyone.

Nayef mentions the terrifying methods of torture he witnessed. He could hear the voices of those being tortured at night and the sounds of the devices being used on the prisoners, like the jingling of chains as a prisoner was being hung from a crane. He says that some of those who were taken to be tortured never returned. Nayef never personally witnessed anyone die by torture, but he heard rumors about it happening.

Nayef tries to estimate the dimensions of the group cell that housed the 150 inmates. There were six toilets inside, but only two were functional. As a result, they were overused. When the toilet overflowed, some child prisoners — who were detained with their parents or by themselves — would clean them. Inmates were also unable to shower because the bathroom was locked. Water was available, yet there were no cleaning products, not even soap.

The drinking water was always warm, while the food was cold and of poor quality. Breakfast consisted of bread and cheese, while lunch and dinner were rice and broth. There was very little health care provided, and there was only one medical assistant, who attempted to treat patients without medication.

Nayef recalls the incidents that led to his release: an airstrike targeted the prison and destroyed a nearby group cell, killing around 50 prisoners. His group cell was also affected, but no one was hurt. Instead, they found themselves surrounded by smoke and dust, unable to escape because the doors were tightly locked. The next day, ISIS transferred them to the former Intelligence Center Prison, where they were beaten and humiliated. They were then sent to the Qaimaqamiyaiya Prison.

At the Qaimaqamiyaiya Prison, Nayef was summoned before an ISIS judge, who questioned him about whether he had communicated with the Iraqi intelligence service. The judge also inquired about Colonel Muslat, a fellow native of Nayef’s city whom people often visited. The judge also denounced Nayef’s failure to make his children pledge allegiance to ISIS. Nayef also recalls another ISIS member attempting to pressure him into forcing his children to join ISIS in return for his freedom. He was expected to pay a fine as well. Nayef did pay the fine in return for his release, but his children did not join ISIS. Afterwards, he was able to escape Mosul with his family.

Nayef regrets that his carelessness hurt his family. To avoid trouble, he has learned to control his temper and forgive others. However, he has now become very withdrawn, barely wanting to leave his house or interact with others. It was a very tough experience for him.