Abdullah Abdul Samad Taha

Abdullah Abdul Samad Taha is married and has two children. He works in a shop in the old perfume market. 

 

In this testimony, he describes how he was arrested twice by ISIS members in early 2016. The first time, he was detained for a day on the charge of wearing tight pants. The second time, which happened shortly afterwards, he was detained for six days for wearing tight pants and trimming his beard. The second arrest took place in broad daylight next to his shop and in front of his colleagues in the perfume market. Abdullah says his family did not know anything about his fate during those seven days.

 

He explains that his interrogation started the day after he was arrested. He still remembers how the ISIS judge called him an apostate and derided him by saying, “the brothers are fighting while you are sitting around”. 

 

Abdullah describes his fear over what was waiting for him, as well as his distress from hearing the screams of prisoners under torture. He thought he was either going to be executed by ISIS or killed by the Coalition’s air strikes. He explains that the cell was small and crowded, which made it hard to sleep. During his testimony, he indicates the prison’s various rooms and explains their uses. He also talks about the basement where prisoners were piled up and tortured. 

 

Abdullah testifies that medical care was non-existent. People with chronic conditions were left to their own devices. The spread of diseases among prisoners was ignored. Scabies was particularly rampant due to the unhygienic conditions and the lack of water for showering or cleaning. Moving to food, he says the main meal was lunch, which consisted of lentil soup and a piece of bread. Breakfast was a piece of cheese with a piece of bread. Dinner was not a regular meal.  

 

Abdullah explains that psychological intimidation was an integral part of the torture inflicted on him. He was continually threatened with execution or amputation. He was also made to believe that his detention would be very long.

 

In the testimony, he indicates that flogging and falaqa (beating the feet with a stick) were the main torture methods. The severe beating caused bruises and wounds that later became infected. He says that he saw other torture tools, such as swords and electric prods, that were used on other prisoners. 

 

Abdullah says he does not remember many names of those who were detained with him, either because their charges were minor so their detentions were short, or because their charges were serious so they were transferred to other prisons.

 

Abdullah and other prisoners watched ISIS videos played on a screen in their cell. The content was meant to encourage them to join the organization. It included information about ISIS beliefs and news about their victories on the battlefield .

 

Abdullah stresses that the people of Mosul suffered tremendously at the hands of ISIS. He lost over six kilograms in his six days in prison. He faced very difficult conditions during his detention, including severe flogging and different types of humiliation. His prison ordeal left him with long lasting scars. He is still haunted by nightmares of the horrors he lived through during that time.