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Amnesty International condemned the execution of 13 men by Iraqi authorities, after they were convicted on terrorism-related charges described as “vague and broad.”
In a report published on April 25, 2024, Amnesty International called on the Iraqi government to immediately halt all executions.
On April 22, the Iraqi authorities executed 13 men in Nasiriyah Central Prison in southern Dhi Qar Governorate. This marked the first mass execution recorded since November 2020.
Under Iraqi law, capital punishment by hanging can be applied to those convicted of terrorism, premeditated murder, and drug trafficking.
The Amnesty International report indicated that 11 of the 13 men executed were convicted based on their affiliation with the armed group known as “ISIS,” while the other two were convicted on terrorism charges under the penal code following “grossly unfair trials” and had been detained since 2008.
Activists and lawyers representing the death row inmates informed Amnesty International that dozens more have been executed since April 10 without prior notice being given to the inmates, their families, or their lawyers by the Iraqi authorities.
Razaw Salihy, Amnesty International’s Iraq researcher, stated that “executions carried out following trials that do not meet international human rights standards may amount to arbitrary deprivation of life. The Iraqi government must immediately impose an official moratorium on executions and work towards the abolition of the death penalty altogether.”
Two lawyers told Amnesty International that about 150 people are at risk of execution after Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid ratified their death sentences.
According to official court documents reviewed by Amnesty International, on October 22, 2023, the Federal Court of Appeal requested the President’s office to ratify death sentences for 51 people. Amnesty believes there are more than 8,000 inmates on death row in Iraq.
Amnesty International sent letters to the Iraqi Presidency and the Ministry of Justice on February 21, 2024, requesting information on the number of ratified death sentences, the ratification process, the number of executions carried out, and measures taken to ensure the basic rights of those facing execution.
Regarding the executions, Human Rights Watch previously stated that the ongoing executions appear to be an attempt by the Iraqi authorities to resume capital punishment in a way that avoids the negative publicity and international condemnation that accompanied the last round of executions. They held the Iraqi President responsible for ratifying the death decrees he receives from the Supreme Judicial Council.
