Secret Executions in Iraq: A Violation of Human Rights and Justice

Background

Iraqi authorities are reportedly carrying out secret executions in Al-Hoot prison located in Nasiriyah, southern Iraq. It is believed that these executions are being done without the public announcements required by the Iraqi constitution, with the aim of bypassing scrutiny from political factions and human rights organizations.

Afad, an independent observatory monitoring human rights abuses in Iraq, has recorded 63 cases of secret executions while Amnesty International has condemned the lack of transparency and called for all executions to be halted immediately. These executions took place at Nasiriyah prison, particularly targeting individuals convicted of terrorism-related charges.

Legality and Fairness of Trials

The secretive nature of these executions has raised serious concerns about the fairness and legality of these trials.

Many of those convicted were reportedly accused based on complaints by secret agents, often with false accusations stemming from sectarian motives. As a result, a majority of the prisoners belong to the Arab Sunni community. The government’s direction that these executions be undisclosed to avoid political and human rights criticism, despite legal provisions requiring notification to the convict’s family before execution, raises even more concerns about the transparency of trials.

Ahmad Abd, a member of the Afad Human Rights Observatory, revealed significant violations in the execution process, including executing individuals with severe health issues and those over 75 years old, without notifying their families until the day of execution.

Conditions in Al-Hoot Prison

Al-Hoot prison has become the focal point of these secret executions. The prison houses around 40,000 inmates and is Iraq’s largest prison after Abu Ghraib was closed. The prison has been dubbed the “notorious prison” due to numerous violations and deaths resulting from torture, beatings, malnutrition, and disease outbreaks. These conditions have led to numerous deaths among inmates, further exacerbating the controversy.

Political Implications

The secret executions precede efforts by Sunni Arab political forces to pass a general amnesty law, aiming to provide legal conditions for retrials and ensure judicial fairness. However, this faces significant obstacles from Iran-aligned parties. The Iraqi parliament is set to begin its new legislative session, with Sunni Arab bloc MPs advocating for passing the general amnesty bill.

Political analyst Iyad Al-Dulaimi remarked that the Iraqi president’s stance on signing execution orders raises many questions, especially since former presidents refrained from signing due to concerns about confessions extracted under torture. “President Abdul Latif quickly succumbed to party pressures demanding the resolution of prisoner and death row cases, noting that around 8,000 death row inmates await execution in Iraq. The president bears responsibility for failing to resist these pressures and not reviewing the sentences of hundreds of executed inmates widely recognized as unjust,” Al-Dulaimi said.

Conclusion

The secret executions in Iraq are a violation of human rights and justice. The government must take immediate action to stop all executions and work towards abolishing the death penalty entirely. Transparency in trials must be ensured to protect the rights of prisoners and their families. The conditions in Al-Hoot prison must also be addressed with urgency.

It’s time for the Iraqi government to uphold the rule of law and respect human rights, bringing an end to the ongoing controversy.

Keywords: Secret executions, Iraq, human rights, Al-Hoot prison, justice, legality, trials, political implications.

Originally Post From https://www.newarab.com/news/concerns-grow-officials-speak-iraqs-secret-executions

Concerns Grow as Officials Speak of Iraq’s Secret Executions