Iraq’s government announced on Friday the formation of a committee to respond to a United Nations human rights report criticizing the country’s use of the death penalty.
“The Iraqi government has reviewed the report of the UN human rights commissioner and is committed to upholding human rights principles,” stated government spokesman Basem al-Awwadi. “The committee will clarify all aspects related to the information in the report and ensure transparency in legal procedures.”
The committee will include representatives from the Ministry of Justice, the Prime Minister’s office, the Foreign Ministry, and the judiciary, along with a member from the Parliamentary Human Rights Committee serving as an observer.
In April, Amnesty International reported that at least 13 men were executed on April 22 in Nasiriyah Central Prison, located in the southern governorate of Dhi Qar, following their conviction on broad and vague terrorism charges.
Among the men executed on April 22, 11 were convicted based on their affiliation with the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) armed group.
Nasiriyah prison, known locally as “al-Hout” or “the whale” for its reputation of swallowing people up and never spitting them out, has a history of mass executions. In 2017, it executed 41 and 38 people respectively within a span of less than three months. Currently, about 8,000 prisoners are reported to be on death row in Iraq, most of them facing terrorism charges.
