Jassim al-Assadi has been a prominent voice of Iraq’s environmental civil society for years, raising awareness of the threats facing the country’s southern wetlands. He is the head of Nature Iraq, a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) accredited environmental group, working to preserve Iraq’s endangered marshes.
His brother, Nadhim al-Assadi, told Rudaw English that the activist was driving from Babil province towards Baghdad, accompanied by one of his cousins, on Wednesday when they were surrounded by two vehicles carrying a group of armed men wearing civilian clothing.
The gunmen grabbed Assadi, forcing him unto one of the vehicles and driving away with him to an unknown location, said the brother, adding that the armed men also tied up the cousin and left him inside the car.
Nadhim said he believes the kidnapping was “carefully” designed, but declined to name any parties that he suspects of being behind the incident.
“We do not have any specific party that we can accuse. All we know is that they are, definitely, a non-governmental armed group, as it is apparent from the kidnapping method,” Nadhim added.
Hassan Janabi, Iraq’s former minister of water resources, has repeatedly called on relevant authorities to rescue Assadi “before it is too late.”
“I am trying to be optimistic about his [Assadi’s] liberation from captivity, but I am not able,” said Janabi in a tweet.
Nadhim said that Iraq’s security and intelligence services are currently investigating the whereabouts of his brother under the directive of Prime Minister of Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, but added that the efforts so far have not met the expectations of the family.
Iraq's troubled marshlands were subject to a massive drainage campaign by former dictator Saddam Hussein in 1991, who ordered their drainage as punishment for local communities who were protecting insurgents he sought to hunt down.
The marshes were added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites in 2016 due to their biodiversity and ancient history.
Iraq is the fifth-most vulnerable nation in the world to the effects of climate change, including water and food insecurity, according to the UN.
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