ARAR – Iraqi prison authorities are still to reveal the whereabouts of the body of Saudi national Mazin Ahmad Al-Farsi, who died in an Iraqi jail three years ago after he was arrested for illegally crossing into the country. Abu Abdullah, a friend of Al-Farsi, said the latter was arrested inside a train while traveling to Baghdad in 2004. Al-Farsi was 23 years old at the time of his arrest. No charges were leveled against him but he was still taken to Abu Ghraib prison, Abu Abdullah said. Al-Farsi was then given a 10-year prison sentence for crossing Iraqi borders illegally, Abu Abdullah added. Afterward, he was taken to Sousa Prison in Kurdistan. When he was in prison, Al-Farsi started to get sick and every time he would eat something he would vomit. He was taken several times to hospital handcuffed and his legs in chains. When he returned to prison, he was covered in blood, Abu Abdullah added. He remained like this for several months until one day after performing the afternoon prayer he collapsed and died. “His body was taken by prison guards and hidden. No one still knows where it is.” Al-Farsi's family only found out about the death two months later when a prisoner called them up and broke the news to them. A source said Al-Farsi's body could be buried in Al-Najaf cemetery as the corpse was transported to Baghdad. According to Iraqi regulations, if no one claims a body in 50 days, it would be buried there. Meanwhile, Dr. Ghanem Al-Jamili, Iraqi ambassador to the Kingdom, said Mazin Al-Masawi's execution would not affect bilateral relations. He told Okaz/Saudi Gazette: “We're waiting for the Iraqi parliament to approve an extradition agreement between the two countries signed a few months ago.” Trade exchange between the two countries reached $5 billion last year and is expected to increase this year. Al-Jamili called for establishing a Saudi-Iraqi business council and investment forum. He added: “There are great opportunities to develop economic relations in fields such as agriculture, livestock and water.”
