The case of Ahmad Hikmat Shakir
Ahmad Hikmat Shakir, an Iraqi citizen aged 37 years, was arrested at Amman Airport on 21 October 2001 during a transit-stop on his way from Qatar to Iraq. Ahmad Hikmat Shakir, an employee of the Qatari Ministry of Awqaf, was arrested on 17 September by the Qatar authorities and reportedly ill-treated while being interrogated. He was not charged with any offence and was released from detention. He left Doha for Iraq via Jordan on 21 October and was arrested on the same day by the Jordanian security forces. It appears that his arrest may have been in connection with suspicions on the part of the Jordanian authorities relating to visits he had made to Pakistan, Yemen and Malaysia.
Amnesty International wrote to the Minister of Interior in November seeking assurances that Ahmad Hikmat Shakir was being humanely treated and not subjected to any kind of ill-treatment or torture as well as seeking information about his whereabouts, the reasons for his arrest, and whether any charges had been brought against him. By the end of January 2002 no reply had been received.
Ahmad Hikmat Shakir was held in incommunicado detention for several weeks before being allowed access to a lawyer. Following his release on bail on 28 January, Amnesty International was not able to obtain information from him about his experiences during his detention in Jordan or about the charges which had been brought against him. However, according to reports received by Amnesty International, he had lost weight during his detention and appeared to be traumatized.
OH, POOR BABY !