British father tells of rats ordeal after being released from Iraqi jail

Brian Glendinning returned to Scotland on November 19.

Interesting 14:00 27.11.2022
A British father who was held in Iraq over an alleged unpaid debt has told of the dreadful conditions he endured in prison where he saw rats as big as cats.
 
Brian Glendinning, 43, said he “pressed the pause button” on his life during two months in jail where getting through the days was just “survival”.
 
He had been contracted to work at an oil refinery in Iraq but was arrested on an Interpol red notice at Baghdad Airport on September 12 over an alleged debt owed to the Qatar National Bank.
 
"If you’ve seen Trainspotting and the toilet scene in that, it was 10 times worse, it was just rats everywhere"
 
The father of three was eventually freed after campaigning by the Interpol and Extradition Reform (Ipex) initiative, and returned to Scotland on November 19.
 
He described his experiences to Ipex founder Radha Stirling, who hosts the Gulf in Justice Podcast.
 
Mr Glendinning said rats infested the toilets in the cell he shared, making it hard to sleep.
 
He said: “I looked and saw this rat run past, this thing was the size of a cat. They came out the toilet, it was just a hole in the floor.
 
“If you’ve seen Trainspotting and the toilet scene in that, it was 10 times worse, it was just rats everywhere.
 
“For four nights I watched these these rats all night and never slept.”
 
While he eventually managed to sleep after realising the rats did not leave the toilet area, he said he had to endure constant noise and no hot water during his time in prison.
 
He said: “The mental torture every day, it was the noise, rabble and voices, a fan, there was a generator right outside the window, the fumes coming from the generator, sore head.”
 
Mr Glendinning said he saw police hitting other prisoners and that while he was not hit himself, the guards were “heavy handed” with him, pushing him as he walked along.
 
He said that he initially feared he would be extradited to Qatar and would have to spend two years in jail.
Asked about the worst moments of his ordeal, he told Ms Stirling: “The worst thing was the initial phone call back home to tell them that, ‘by the way, I’m locked up here and I don’t think I’m getting out’.
 
“And then when I actually managed to get hold of the official paperwork and read the words ‘you were sentenced to two years in jail in Qatar in 2017 in your absence, Qatar wanted you extradited’, and my world just fell apart.
 
“I’d already fixed in my head the phone call to Kimberley (his wife) saying, ‘listen, just get on with life, I’m not going to be there, don’t even bother coming out here to see me’. I didn’t want the kids coming out here, I basically just wrote myself off then.
 
“When I got in there I pressed the pause button on my life, and when I got back out I pressed play again, but I thought that pause button was going to be on a lot longer than what it was.
 
“That wasn’t life in there, to me, that was survival, an existence, and it’s something I don’t want to remember again, that’s why I pressed pause.”
 
Mr Glendinning, from Kincardine, Fife, said he is incredibly grateful to friends and family and everyone who worked to bring him home.
 
He said: “The best time was the day I heard I was getting out, I never even knew it was coming. And after that it was when the plane touched down at Edinburgh Airport and I knew I was home.”
 
Ms Stirling said: “I am privileged to have been able to help this dear family who I have come to know.
 
“I’m grateful for their energy and dedication in supporting the campaign to free Brian.”
IEPF issued a statement regarding Azerbaijani children at the UN Human Rights Council

News line

Russia accuses Ukrainian military chief of ordering downing of war prisoner plane
22:10 05.07.2025
Türkiye supports firefighting operations in Syria’s Latakia
22:00 05.07.2025
UNRWA calls for immediate fuel delivery to Israel-blockaded Gaza before shutdown of basic services
21:45 05.07.2025
Pashinyan: Armenia needs new constitution
21:20 05.07.2025
UN chief condemns Russia's recent 'series of large-scale' attacks on Ukraine
21:00 05.07.2025
Kazakh servicemen arrive in Azerbaijan to participate in Tarlan - 2025 exercise
20:45 05.07.2025
Erdogan: US has crucial role in achieving ceasefire in Gaza
20:20 05.07.2025
Building collapse in Pakistan kills 15
19:45 05.07.2025
Turkish FM Fidan to attend 17th BRICS Leaders Summit in Rio de Janeiro
19:30 05.07.2025
Australia pledges $283M for green energy project by explosives maker
19:10 05.07.2025
OPEC+ speeds up oil output hikes, adds 548,000 bpd in August
18:45 05.07.2025
Inter completes signing of Ange-Yoan Bonny from Parma
18:20 05.07.2025
Turkish president sees Zangazur corridor 'as part of the geoeconomic revolution'
18:00 05.07.2025
Turkish president urges Azerbaijan, Russia to show restrain amid tension
17:45 05.07.2025
China says war 'not a solution' to Iranian nuclear issue
17:15 05.07.2025
At least 18 people injured after fire alert on Ryanair plane in Majorca as passengers abandon jet & leap from wing
17:00 05.07.2025
Azerbaijani PM meets with UNESCAP executive secretary
16:45 05.07.2025
Lebanese president affirms coordination with Syria, warns against sectarian tensions
16:15 05.07.2025
21 killed in Israeli strikes on tents, school-turned-shelters in Gaza Strip
16:00 05.07.2025
Turkish construction sector takes on international projects worth $6.2B in first half of 2025
15:45 05.07.2025
Azerbaijani woman wrestler becomes European champion
15:30 05.07.2025
Mayor: Death toll in Russian attacks on Kyiv reached two
15:15 05.07.2025
Texas floods kill 24 people and leave many missing from girls' summer camp
14:45 05.07.2025
Conor McGregor has interest in White House fight after Trump's UFC idea
14:30 05.07.2025
Netanyahu era sees 40% surge in Israeli settlements in occupied West Bank
14:15 05.07.2025
Equatorial Guinea sues France in UN court to block sale of Paris mansion
14:00 05.07.2025
US president 'disappointed' over phone call with Putin
13:45 05.07.2025
Academy of Azerbaijan`s State Security Service hosts graduation ceremony
13:30 05.07.2025
Azerbaijan and Pakistan ink memo in Khankendi
13:15 05.07.2025
Trump says there could be Gaza deal next week
13:00 05.07.2025
First flight from Türkiye to Syria launched
12:45 05.07.2025
US marks its 249th anniversary of independence
12:30 05.07.2025
Azerbaijan's role in regional integration discussed at London conference
12:00 05.07.2025
Uzbek Minister: Mirziyoyev's visit to Azerbaijan crucial for dev’t of transport links
11:45 05.07.2025
Trump says US will start talks with China on TikTok deal this week
11:30 05.07.2025
Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif concludes visit to Azerbaijan
11:15 05.07.2025
Pakistani premier proposes low-emissions corridor at Economic Cooperation Organization summit
11:00 05.07.2025
Rwanda pledges to deliver on its part of US-brokered peace deal with DR Congo
10:45 05.07.2025
Hezbollah rejects calls to disarm before end of Israeli ‘aggression’ against Lebanon
10:30 05.07.2025
Trump says Gaza ceasefire deal may come next week after ‘positive’ Hamas response
10:15 05.07.2025
Hamısı