BBCAn Israeli-Russian woman, Elizabeth Tsurkov, who was held captive for two and a half years in Iraq, described her experience of extreme abuse and torture during her captivity. Freed in September 2023, she revealed her strategy of inventing false confessions to mitigate torture. Tsurkov believes her release was facilitated by US diplomatic pressure on Iraq, as she was held by the Iran-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah. Her ordeal included severe physical and mental trauma, leaving her health significantly compromised.
