Young Iraqi tortured in Iran after kidnapped from Erbil, relatives say 

The Iraqi officials say they are coordinating with Iranian officials regarding claims that several young Iraqis are being tortured, reportedly by human trafficking gangs in Iran, after being kidnapped from Erbil, the capital city of the Iraqi Kurdistan region. 

Videos depicting young Iraqis allegedly tortured by human trafficking gangs circulated widely on social media platforms. In one of the videos, two Iraqis are seen naked and beaten severely, pleading for their relatives to transfer US dollars from Iraq to Tehran to be freed.    

Relatives of the Iraqis say the victims were visiting Erbil for tourism, but gangs had dragged them into the border areas near Iran and Turkey. 

The relatives told Iraqi media channels that the gangs sent them the videos, demanding a ransom of between US$7,000 and US$10,000. They also said about nine Iraqis had been kidnapped and taken to Iran since last month. 

🔴 لمن كذبوا رواية المخطوفين العراقيين بايران..

♦️ اهالي المخطوفين في البصرة يتحدثون للإعلام عن التفاصيل.

يا ترى ما سبب سكوت الأجهزة الأمنية العراقية الى حد الان؟#المخطوفون_العراقيون pic.twitter.com/rZx1OgtSaG

— العراق برس (@aliraqplus) August 23, 2023

Iraqi and Kurdish officials could not be reached while being contacted by The New Arab to comment on the issue. 

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Iraqi foreign ministry, Ahmed al-Sahaf, said that the Iraqis had entered Iran illegally through human trafficking gangs and that they had been freed after amounts of money were paid to the kidnappers without making further clarifications.

Sahaf also confirmed that the Iraqis have been kidnapped since July and that they have contacted the Iraqi embassy in Tehran and the Iranian officials to restrict such incidents. 

He urged Iraqis to avoid illegal immigration routes to Europe via Iran and Turkey.   

However, relatives of the kidnapped Iraqis refuted Sahaf's statements and asserted that their sons and other foreign nationals, including Afghanis, are being held in Iran.  

Frustrated by high unemployment rates, rampant corruption, kidnapping and killing by the Iraqi militias, tens of thousands of Iraqis are putting their lives at risk every year through illegal migration in the hope of finding better life conditions in European countries.  

On 24 November 2021, 27 migrants drowned in the English Channel waters after their inflatable boat had sunk while trying to reach the English coast. Of the 27 victims, 16 were Iraqi Kurds.