“There is strong evidence that Sab’awi tribal militia members have committed crimes under international law by torturing and otherwise ill-treating residents in Qati’ al Sab’awiin in revenge for crimes committed by Daesh,” Deputy Director for Research at Amnesty International’s Beirut regional office Lynn Maalouf said, as quoted on the Amnesty International's website.
According to the human rights watchdog, all eyewitnesses interviewed described a troubling scene in which several men and boys, aged between 16 and 25, were placed in large poultry cages in the middle of a public roundabout. Some of the men were beaten by militia with cables.
The alleged offenses took place in a number of villages located on the south-eastern bank of the river Tigris (Qati’ al-Sab’awiin), after members of the Sab’awi Tribal Mobilization militia detained men and boys, suspected of being Daesh fighters. According to the witnesses, tribal militia members were seeking a revenge for their relatives killed by Daesh.
Tribal Mobilization militias are taking part in the Mosul offensive, fighting against Daesh terrorists. Some tribes within the Tribal Mobilization are believed to receive support from Iraqi government authorities.
Mosul has been occupied by the Daesh, outlawed in Russia, since 2014. The operation to retake the city from the terrorists, also known as Daesh in Arabic, began on October 17.
