VZCZCXRO2296
PP RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHGB #2421/01 2170543
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 040543Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8637
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 002421 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV KJUS SOCI IZ
SUBJECT: (SBU) KARBALA'S LARGEST JAIL BURSTING AT SEAMS. 
 
(U)  This message is Sensitive but Unclassified.  Handle 
Accordingly.  Not for Internet distribution. 
 
(U) This is a PRT Karbala reporting cable. 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Karbala's largest jail (technically a 
pre-trial detention facility) is filled beyond capacity. 
Because the province does not have a prison and the regional 
prison in al-Hillah also is full, Karbala's jail also houses 
post-trial detainees, including ten people (one female) 
convicted of capital crimes.  The facility -- a converted 
office building -- is in good condition and well-run, and 
there have been no complaints of human rights violations. 
The long-term solution to alleviate the overcrowding is the 
construction of a larger, modern jail in Karbala.  End 
Summary. 
 
Chief Judge's Perspective 
------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) On June 22, PRT officers met Karbala Chief Appellate 
judge Abid Nour Farhan al-Fatlawi at his office near the 
Government Center complex.  PRT Karbala has a good working 
relationship with Abid Nour, who is a candid critic of 
Karbala's shortcomings.  Abid Nour described the jail as 
badly overcrowded, but clean and safe.  He said convicted 
felons unfortunately are housed with other inmates, but that 
this so far has produced no incidents. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Abid Nour stated that Karbala's investigative judges 
are required to visit the province's jails to assess 
conditions, something they reportedly do several times per 
month.  Asked about changes or improvements implemented 
recently, Abid Nour said that in response to complaints about 
the food, a new contractor was hired and the inmates are now 
satisfied with their meals.  A new generator provides power 
24/7.  He noted that another complaint is access to medical 
care, but doctors and other health care professionals now 
visit the jail more frequently.  (Note: We heard from other 
contacts that scabies is widespread at the jail and that the 
chief complaint was a lack of medicine with which to treat 
it. End Note.) 
 
Full House 
---------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) PRT officers visited the jail, which occupies the 
ground floor of a converted office building approximately 500 
meters from the Government Center (the top two floors of the 
three-story structure contain police offices).  According to 
jail officials, the prison was built to accommodate a maximum 
of 250 persons.  However, it currently houses 354, including 
seven women.  Ten of the inmates are awaiting execution for 
capital crimes, including a woman convicted of murdering her 
husband.  Because of the lack of space, convicted felons are 
housed with those convicted of lesser offenses. 
 
¶5. (SBU) All seven women occupy a segregated, windowless ward 
secured behind a locked gate on the north side of the 
building.  It has one toilet and one shower, and the women 
sleep on foam mattresses on the floor.  The bulding's main 
entrance is on the west side, and processing of arrestees is 
undertaken at the intake holding area on the east or back 
side.  The south half of the building contains four cells 
varying in size from 25 to approximately 40 square meters. 
The two smallest cells house those awaiting trial.  Each 
contains some 50 men and one toilet.  The two larger cells 
house those convicted of misdemeanors and felonies.  Each 
contains about 125 inmates, two toilets, and two showers.  As 
with the women, the men sleep on foam mattresses on the 
floor.  Jail officials allowed PRT officers to take 
photographs. 
 
A Clean, Well-Lighted Place 
--------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) The prison has a small outdoor exercise area 
enclosed within a cage.  The building is clean and has been 
recently painted.  Light and air conditioning provided by the 
new generator was ample; however, the electrical system 
itself appears potentially hazardous. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) In his cramped office, the warden told PRT officers 
that the inmates are able to exercise once per day -- in 
shifts -- for approximately an hour.  He confirmed that the 
regional prison (technically a post-trial facility) in 
al-Hillah is full, commenting that 20 convincted felons sent 
there from Karbala recently had been returned because of a 
lack of space.  He noted that because the police are 
scrupulous when it comes to respecting human rights, there 
have been no complaints of abuse.  Asked what he thought was 
necessary to improve the jail, the warden was blunt: Only a 
new facility can solve the overcrowding.  The current 
 
BAGHDAD 00002421  002 OF 002 
 
 
building was not designed to be a jail and cannot be expanded. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) Karbala needs a larger jail and the south central 
provinces need an expanded regional prison.  Both are 
long-term fixes for problems likely to worsen in the near 
term.  Karbala's status as a holy place renders the 
construction of a prison in the city as a non-starter.  The 
province is fortunate not to be subject to complaints of 
human rights abuses, but overcrowding at the jail -- and 
particularly the mingling of hardened criminals with lesser 
offenders -- make an unfortunate incident likely.  The 
likelihood of ramped-up arrests as the Shabaaniya approaches 
later this month will add further pressure to a facility 
already bursting at the seams.  End Comment. 
CROCKER