UNESCO Chair Contributes to the Publication of a Documentary Book on “Methods of Torture and Crimes under the Former Regime”

• The Department of Intellectual and Cultural Affairs at the Holy Al-Abbas Shrine has published a book entitled Methods of Torture and Ba’athist Crimes, dated 1 October 2026. The book is a documentary study prepared by Assistant Professor Dr Raed Obais, a member of the UNESCO Chair for Interreligious Dialogue at the University of Kufa, in collaboration with legal expert Saad Sultan.

The publication examines the criminal practices and systematic methods of torture employed by the former Ba’athist regime against Iraqi detainees in prisons, military camps, security directorates, and even in private homes and public streets.

The study emphasises that these practices constituted grave violations of human rights, leaving thousands of Iraqis with physical disabilities and psychological trauma. They also forced many to flee their homeland and live in exile, while creating a profound rupture between citizens and the state.
The study draws on testimonies from victims themselves, statements and confessions by officials of the former regime, as well as video footage and official publications that came to light after 2003.
The Iraqi Centre for the Documentation of Extremist Crimes has affirmed that the purpose of this documentation is to bring historical facts to public attention and ensure that the lessons of the past serve as a warning to future generations that any political experiment resembling the former Ba’athist regime would lead to similarly disastrous consequences.