On 25 May 2009, Al-Dainy made a statement on the Iraqi television channel Al-Rai, in which he refuted all charges brought against him by the Iraqi government. He is accused of having illegally disregarded his immunity clause as a Member of Parliament. He confirmed that all his relatives and bodyguards are still being held by the Iraqi government.
Al-Dainy was arrested by Iraqi security forces on Wednesday, 25 February 2009, aboard a plane that was recalled while en route to Amman, Jordan. The aircraft was recalled about 30 minutes after takeoff. An officer of the security forces in civilian clothes climbed aboard the aircraft, while three other armed individuals were positioned at the door of the aircraft. Al-Dainy was then forced to follow the officer in civilian clothes.
According to his testimony received by Alkarama, he then left the airport with Mr. Al-Sajri, as his escort. About five kilometers from the airport, Al-Dainy asked the driver to stop and told Al-Sajri that he wanted to get out of the vehicle. Al-Sajri was surprised: What would push Mohammed Al-Dainy to disembark in the middle of the highway at such a vast distance from city or town? Al-Dainy's response was clear, he said, "If they take me, they will kill me!
According to Al-Sajri, Al-Dainy got out of the vehicle and Al-Sajri drove off. When asked by Alkarama about the chances of Al-Dainy escaping police checks in the area, Al-Sajri said, said they were almost none. The highway leading from Baghdad to the airport is closely monitored by the Iraqi government forces, who formally took control over the area from the hands of coalition forces on 24 January 2009.
About ten minutes later, after arriving at the checkpoint at the main entrance of Baghdad, Al-Sajri's convoy was arrested and his driver and bodyguards were also detained. They were tortured by police who wanted them to give the whereabouts of Al-Dainy. Up until his recent reappearance, Al-Dainy had not been seen since the events of 25 February 2009, nor had any member of his family heard from him.
Fearing that he will suffer torture and perhaps be executed, Alkarama alerted various UN procedures for the protection of human rights: the Special Rapporteur on torture (SRT), the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, the Group Working on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID), the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) (which is an international organization of parliaments of sovereign states).
For more information:
Iraq: Disapperance of 11 of Mohammed Al-Dainy's entourage
Iraq: Enforced disappearance of Alaa Al-Maliki
Iraq: Enforced disappearance of Omar Jasem, Hossein Mansoor and Odey Mansoor
Iraq: Enforced disappearance of Riyad Ibrahim Jassem
Update : Arrest and disappearance of Mr Al-Dainy, Member of Iraqi Parliament
Iraq : Arrest and abduction of Mr Al-Dainy, Member of Iraqi Parliament