Iraqi officials carried out the execution of at least 11 individuals convicted of “terrorism” this week, as reported by security and health sources on Wednesday. The source verified the receipt of 11 bodies of those who were executed.
Amnesty International has criticized the process, citing a concerning lack of transparency.
A security source in Iraq’s southern Dhi Qar province told AFP that 11 “terrorists from the Islamic State group” were executed by hanging at a prison in the city of Nasiriyah, “under the supervision of a justice ministry team”.
A local medical source confirmed that the health department had received the bodies of 11 executed people.
They were hanged on Monday “under Article 4 of the anti-terrorism law”, the source added, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.
All 11 were from Salahaddin province and the bodies of seven had been returned to their families, the medical official said.
Iraqi courts have handed down hundreds of death and life sentences in recent years for people convicted of membership in “a terrorist group”, an offence that carries capital punishment regardless of whether the defendant had been an active fighter.
