Jassim Al-Asadi runs the “Nature of Iraq” association that defense the environment, he appears regularly through local and foreign media to raise awareness about the Iraqi marshes, which are on the UNESCO World Heritage List and are threatened by water scarcity and drought in recent times.

In a phone call to Agence France-Presse, Nazem al-Asadi told AFP that his brother, was driving his car on the highway coming from the city of Hilla south Baghdad, when 2 cars stopped him and armed men in civilian clothes handcuffed him, put him in one of the cars, and took him to an unknown location. He explained that the accident occurred about 5k from the capital, Baghdad.
Al-Asadi’s brother added, “My cousin was with Jassim, but they left him at the same moment on the road,” assuring that the kidnappers didn’t contact the family, while the police continue to search for Jassim.