Arrest and release of Iraqi Islamic party leader denounced
Iraq, Politics, 5/31/2005

The Iraqi President Jalal al-Talibani expressed his regret over the detention of the chairman of the Iraqi Islamic party, Mohsen Abdul Hamid, after he called for his immediate release.

Talibani said in a statement that the presidency council was not consulted over the arrest of Abdul Hamid, and considered dealing with this dignitary figure in such an unorganized way as an unacceptable matter.

The Kurdistani Islamic Union deplored the detention operation and called for the release of Abdul Hamid immediately. He stressed that this act would not serve the security condition, rather will be damaging the political process for building the new democratic Iraq and plays to the interests of terrorist attacks. The Higher Council For The Islamic Revolution In Iraq expressed, on behalf of the prominent figure in it Ammar al-Hakim, its regret and denunciation for the detention operation. Hakim said that this measure against a prominent figure is not acceptable.

Earlier the secretary general of the Iraqi Islamic party Tareq al-Hashimi called for immediate release of Abdul Hamid and his three sons who were detained with him. He held the American forces and the Iraqi government the responsibility for their safety.

The American forces broke into the house of the chairman of the Islamic party Mohsin Abdul Hamid on Monday at dawn in the Green Zone in Baghdad and detained him together with his three sons, many of his guards and confiscated a sum of money.

Member of the party's political bureau Ala' Mekke said that the soldiers who carried out the detention operation broke the windows of the house of Abdul Hamid and mistreated him and his sons. He stressed that the American soldiers did not hesitate in putting a bag over his head. He also described these acts of arrest as "a black point in the history of the Americans in Iraq."

Later, the American army announced in a statement that it had released the chairman of the Iraqi Islamic party Mohsin Abdul Hamid after it had announced his detention was made mistakenly yesterday at dawn.

The statement said that the interrogation operation of Abdul Hamid was completed and that he is in his way home, adding that the American forces apologize for any harm made against him.

Abdul Hamid told al-Jazeera after his release that the American forces treated him in a humiliating way. He was taken with his eyes covered and hand tightened and that he was interrogated about his party's policy and his links to gunmen.

Abdul Hamid rejected the apology given by the American forces. He said that everyone knows the location of his house, regretting the justifications given by the American forces to that. He added that his party will not stop demanding the pull out of the occupation forces from Iraq and called on the Iraqi government to defend his dignity and to restore back his insulted honor.

Meantime, Iraqi and American forces detained a former officer in the Iraqi army described by one American statement as part of the intelligence network of the former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and that he had led several groups of what he called the rebels. The multi national forces did not disclose the identity of the army officer but said he was detained with another person."

Previous Stories:
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  Political differences postpone Iraqi government   (4/26/2005)
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