In the heart of Slemani is Amna Sakura (Red Security), a purpose built 'security centre' constructed in the early 1980s by Saddam Hussein. One of four detention centres in the city, Amna Sakura was by far the most notorious. Thousands of Kurds were imprisoned here in terrible conditions and many were tortured and executed. One of the 'specialties' of death in Amna Sakura was that the bodies of the dead were dumped in an outer courtyard to be eaten by stray dogs - later the remains were buried in mass graves in a nearby park. Liberated by the Pershmerga in 1992, Amna Sakura has been pretty much left as it was with a one building being turned into a museum.
It is not an easy place to visit and many Kurds would still like to see it pulled down. Particularly heart breaking are the little notices scratched on the walls.
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