MPs push for answers: Will engineer Basheer's report be revealed today?

Shafaq News/ On Tuesday, Iraqi lawmaker Mohammed Al-Khafaji warned he would go public with the findings of a parliamentary fact-finding committee if its report on the controversial death of engineer Basheer Khaled Lateef is not presented in today’s parliamentary session.

Speaking to Shafaq News Agency, Al-Khafaji said the report was completed on Saturday and submitted to the Speaker of Parliament.

“We informed the presidency of the Council of Representatives, and we were expecting the report to be on Monday’s session agenda,” Al-Khafaji said. “But I was surprised it wasn’t included.”

He stressed that the Speaker and his deputies had been notified of the "need to present the report during today’s session."

Engineer Basheer Khaled Lateef died on April 7 from what authorities claimed was kidney failure while in custody at Baghdad’s Hatteen police station. His death ignited nationwide outrage after a video surfaced showing him being assaulted inside the station before his transfer to the Interior Ministry’s central prison.

Amid mounting public outrage, First Deputy Speaker of Parliament Mohsen al-Mandalawi on April 10 directed the Parliamentary Order No. 63 Committee to summon all officers and commanders linked to the case. He also ordered the committee to deliver a detailed report to parliament’s leadership to pave the way for decisive action.

A security source told Shafaq News on Saturday that Interior Minister Abdul Amir Al-Shammari had established high-level committees to carry out sweeping reforms across police stations and departments. The source noted that new appointments would be driven by professionalism, integrity, and investigative expertise.

The source emphasized that the newly formed bodies rank among the largest investigative committees in the Interior Ministry’s history.

In a related shake-up, Al-Shammari dismissed Major General Khalid al-Muhanna, the ministry’s Director of Relations and Media, and appointed Brigadier General Muqdad Miri as his replacement. Miri will also assume duties as the ministry’s official spokesperson.

According to the source, the decision was prompted by the fallout from Lateef’s death and the ensuing wave of criticism, including growing demands to overhaul the ministry’s communication strategy.