Iraqi student disappeared by Hezbollah Brigades

Iraqi student disappeared by Hezbollah Brigades

Al-Dulaimi was a student in the city of Ramadi in Iraq but had to escape his city in 2016 in the context of the fight against ISIL. Accompanied by his brother Yasser and their family, they crossed the al-Razzaza checkpoint on February 6, 2016, aiming to reach the province of Karbala. However, al-Dulaimi was abducted by the Hezbollah Brigades at the checkpoint and his fate and whereabouts have since remained unknown.

Al-Dulaimi was a student in the city of Ramadi, located in the province of al-Anbar in Iraq. In 2015 and 2016, as fights erupted in the city between the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the government forces, many families fled to safer areas.

In order to leave Ramadi, Ali, accompanied by his brother Yasser and their family, had to pass through al-Razzaza checkpoint, which was considered as the main crossing point between the provinces of al-Anbar and Karbala. The checkpoint is close to Amiriya, a city in the Fallujah district of the al-Anbar province. During the fight against ISIL, it became the only crossing point for individuals fleeing from the areas of Hit, al-Ruthba, al-Qaim and Ramadi to internally displaced persons camps in Habbaniya.

At the time, al-Razzaza checkpoint was controlled by the Hezbollah Brigades. These brigades were militias belonging to the Popular Mobilisation Units (PMU), which is an umbrella organisation composed of various militias that supported the Iraqi armed forces during the fight against ISIL.

On February 6, 2016, al-Dulaimi and his brother Yasser were arrested as they made their way through the checkpoint. They were then abducted by the Hezbollah Brigades and forcibly brought to an unknown location. Since then, their fate and whereabouts have remained unknown.

It is estimated that since October 2014, hundreds of Sunni men and boys were abducted by Hezbollah Brigades at the al-Razzaza checkpoint. The whereabouts of these men remain unknown.

On December 19, 2016, the PMU were incorporated into the Iraqi armed forces, and on March 8, 2018, a Prime Minister’s decree formally included the group into the country’s security forces.

On December 4, 2023, MENA Rights Group submitted an Urgent Action to the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances, asking the Iraqi government to clarify the fates and whereabouts of Ali al-Dulaimi and his brother Yasser.

Timeline

December 4, 2023: MENA Rights Group submits al-Dulaimi’s case to the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances.
February 6, 2016: Al-Dulaimi wants to cross the al-Razzaza checkpoint but is arrested by Hezbollah Brigades and forcibly brought to an unknown site. His location has remained unknown ever since.