Abdel Basset Turki
Abdel Basset Turki al-Hadithi | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Politician |
| Known for | Minister of Human Rights of Iraq (September 2003 – April 2004) |
Abdel Basset Turki al-Hadithi held the position of Iraq's Minister of Human Rights from September 2003 until April 2004, having been appointed by the Iraq Interim Governing Council. He stepped down in protest following the deaths of over 600 Iraqi civilians during the siege of Falluja.
In November 2003, Turki requested access to the detained individuals listed on the "Most-wanted Iraqi playing cards," arguing that not all were classified as prisoners of war. He criticized the human rights abuses committed by US-led forces within Combined Joint Task Force 7 and advocated for compensation for the victims.
After the Abu Ghraib abuse revelations in May 2004, Turki disclosed that he had reported these violations to Paul Bremer, the head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, back in November 2003; however, his concerns were met with silence.
Between October 2012 and October 2014, Abdel Basit Turki al-Sae'ed served as governor of Iraq’s Central Bank and simultaneously led the Supreme Audit Board. His appointment came after a September 2012 audit exposed unauthorized weekly transfers amounting to $800 million from central bank currency auctions conducted overseas. This issue was documented in a report by the US Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR), though Turki chose not to provide any statements.
In December 2014, Iraq’s Supreme Court rejected Turki’s audit conclusions as baseless; once again, Turki refrained from commenting.