A famous environmental activist in Iraq, very involved in the preservation of famous marshes in the south of the country, has regained his freedom two weeks after his abduction by armed men, his family confirmed to AFP on Thursday.
Jassim al-Assadi, 65, was kidnapped on February 1 by unknown assailants who immobilized his car on a highway near Baghdad.
The hydraulic engineer directs the association for the defense of the environment "
Nature Iraq
" and regularly intervenes in the Iraqi and foreign media to raise awareness among Iraqis about the marshes, listed as World Heritage by Unesco and threatened in recent years by drought and water shortages.
Motive for kidnapping still unknown
"
Jassim al-Assadi has been freed from the yoke of his captors
," his brother Nazem said in a message sent to AFP.
"
Thank you to those who supported us in this ordeal (...) thank you to the Prime Minister for his support (...) and his concern to guarantee security, thank you to the police
", he said. added.
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Questioned by AFP, Nazem al-Assadi however refused to speak immediately on the circumstances of the release of his brother, whose motive for the kidnapping remains unknown for the moment.
Although Iraq has regained some semblance of normality and relative security stability after decades of conflict, the assassinations and kidnappings of activists or officials remain common, in this country still shaken by tribal conflicts and where civil society deplores the existence of armed factions and a proliferation of easily obtainable weapons.
Fight against drought
Born in 1957 in the marsh region, Jassim al-Assadi took part in various initiatives in 2006 aimed at restoring these marshes located in southern Iraq, which were almost completely dried up in the 1990s under Saddam Hussein.
Threatened by drought in one of the countries most exposed to climate change according to the UN, the marshes are suffering from the drop in rainfall, the scorching summer temperatures which accelerate the phenomenon of evaporation, and above all the reduced flow of the Tigris rivers. and Euphrates, due to dams built upstream in neighboring countries, Turkey and Iran.
