Following the TV apperances, during which 39 others were presented as presumed terrorists and members of Al-Qaeda, the Iraq Minister of Interior, Mr Jawad Al Bolani held a press conference in Bagdad on 2 December 2010, in which he made the following statement:
"Today, the conclusions of the investigation will be sent to court. These criminals will be sentenced to death. We ask that that their execution is carried out without delay in order to dissuade any other terrorists or wrongdoers."(1)
On 28 December 2010, Alkarama addressed the Special Rapporteur on torture asking him to intervene with Iraqi authorities in order for them to conduct an extensive and unbiased investigation into the allegations of torture against Mr Bakkali.
Moreover, given his state of health and the conditions of his detention, there should also be an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his public "confessions", in order to identify producers of the television shows and the identity of those who tortured him prior to them.
Finally, Alkarama asks that Mr Bakkali be released, as he has already served his sentence since nearly ten months.
Mr Bakkali's family was informed of his situation and conviction shortly after his arrest in 2003. They were then able to correspond regularly with the help of the International Red Cross. He was supposed to be brought back to Morocco with the Red Cross in March 2010, however he was never released by Iraqi authorities. The people detained in American prisons were handed over to Iraqi authorities in July 2009 and placed under their responsibility by the means of a bilateral agreement.
Mr Bakkali's family fears that he will be prosecuted for the same reasons that got him arrested and condemned in 2003. They also fear that he could be sentenced to death based on evidence taken from confessions that were extracted under torture.
(1) Amnesty International communiqué, Iraqi minister of interior demands execution of presumed members of Al-Qaeda, 3 December 2010.