Iraqi police patrol a street in Baghdad, June 28, 2026.
(Beirut) – A 22-year-old man detained for drug use died in police custody in late June 2026, a day after Iraqi police removed him from a hospital in the southern city of Najaf while he was being treated for severe abdominal pain, Human Rights Watch said today. A family member of the man, Muhsin Ali Kani, said that the authorities told them to retrieve his body the following day.
The Najaf General Directorate for Anti-Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Affairs, part of the Interior Ministry, said in a statement to local media that Kani was detained after tests confirmed drug use as well as his disclosure to doctors that he swallowed four bags containing crystal methamphetamine. It said that his condition later deteriorated and he died while being transferred back to the hospital from the police station. The directorate said that an investigative committee had been formed to examine the circumstances of the death and hold accountable anyone found negligent.
“Any death in state custody raises questions around the treatment of a detainee, but detention while receiving medical treatment should sound alarm bells,” said Adam Coogle, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “Iraqi authorities should impartially investigate not only the cause of death, but also the decision to remove him from medical care and transfer him to detention despite his apparent health condition.”
The investigation into the circumstances of Kani’s death should be prompt, independent of those involved in the death, credible, and ensure accountability for any wrongdoing, Human Rights Watch said.
Human Rights Watch spoke to Kani’s uncle, who said that Kani went to Al-Najaf Teaching Hospital on June 25 seeking treatment because he was experiencing severe abdominal pain after swallowing four bags containing crystal methamph
