Thirsty Sands (Part 21)

2019-12-24

Thirsty Sands (Part 21)

Jafar Rabiei

Design: Ali Vaziri

First published in 1991

Publishing House, Islamic Propagation Organization

Printed at the Aryan

Following these pressures exerted by Iraqi in order to impress the POWs mentally, they started broadcasting programs over the loudspeakers interminably for 16 to 18 hours a day. Most of the programs were vulgar music. The loudspeakers were turned on at 6 in the morning, and after a pause of one hour were again started at l or 2 p.m. At sunset they were turned off for half an hour, and then again turned on.

Except for one night when a few of our friends had been taken from Oate three outside the camp for torture, the Iraqi guards did not come to the Oate on other night and it was only in Qate two that unexceptionally every night after sunset prayers the doors of the halls were opened to the halls and by calling some new names took them out of the camp and returned only after heavy beatings with bloody, half dead bodies. No one knew why this pressure was being exerted only on Qate two, while in Qate three there were people lining in the same spirit and characteristics.

“Muslim combatants perform ablutions with the Nile’s water”, was the news distributed by new prisoners of the “Khaibar” operation, newly transferred to the camp. This news und others which spoke of victory of the Muslim combatants, increased the POWs resistance, and made it easier for them to tolerate the Iraqi pressures.

It was late in Isfand 62 (March 1984) when the Iraqis started displacement of prisoners in the halls. One of the changes involved in our camp was shifting of officers as well as a number of soldiers to another camp and bringing of new prisoners from other detention camps to our camp. Moreover the Iraqis kept all the prisoners of the Khaibar operation in a separate camp. Several new prisoners who had been brought to our camp were again taken buck. These changes spoke of many changes in the situation of the camps and it was, difficult to tell what was in store for us. The programs of the Iraqis inside the halls were kept up with a continuous and persistent regularity. The loudspeakers blared, keeping the POWs on alert for over one hour, the water was cut off und using toilet and bath were not allowed, our free hours were reduced, our already insufficient food was decreased in terms of quality and quantity, and finally beating of some of the boys outside the camp continued after the evening prayer.

On the night oi 28 Isfand 1362 (18 March 1984) when the news of the martyrdom of the great commanders of Islam, Haj Ibrahim Hemmat, Akbar Zajjaji, and Hamid Bakeri was announced by the Iraqi radio it brought     sorrow into the hearts of all the POWs who knew these dear ones and who were aware of the value of their presence in that period of time. Under the    stern eyes of the guard, the boys held secret ceremonies in praise of the epic deeds of these martyred commanders.

The new year of         1363 (21 March 1984) arrived. For the Iraqi regime the days of feast or non-feast were all the same. The violent behavior continued in the same intensity and, as usual, prisoners were taken from Oate two for torture out of the camp.

About 2 months passed in this way. The Iraqis had severely tortured and insulted the Basijees in Oate two. Every night a list of 15 to 20 of them were read out aloud and they were transferred out of the camp for torture. After this period of time while the prisoners of this Oate were gradually losing patience and forbearance in the face of the atrocities of the camp’s officials, those in charge of the camp decided to halt physical pressure on the POWs in this Oate and exert pressure on the captives in Qate three. The Iraqis started the same behavior as in the past in our Qate which was mixed with Baseejis and soldiers reading out their names and taking the Baseejis and soldiers out of the camp and beating them. For the authorities of the camp there was no difference between Baseejis and soldiers. What was important for them was that if a new POW wished to remain safe in the hands of the Iraqis, he should change his line of thinking and stop supporting the Imam and the Islamic Republic.

Since the start of the Khaibar operation, the Iraqis; had decided to create an atmosphere of terror, banning prisoners from meeting each other and gathering of more than three prisoners -even during the free hours- and aimed in addition to launch a chain of propaganda activities. These included programs beamed from the Farsi section or Radio Baghdad and the presence in the camp of reporters making reports and interviews. Another method was the use of anti-revolutionaries, and pseudo-Alims dependent on the Iraqi regime, such as Ali Tehrani, with the aim of encouraging the POWs to give interview and give up support for the Islamic Republic of Iran.

To be continued…