Iraqi human rights group claims mass executions, authorities deny

Iraqi authorities are under scrutiny over alleged mass executions at al-Hut prison in Nasiriyah. Human rights activists say the government has overseen one of the biggest waves of executions since the 2003 US-led invasion. Although Presidency of Iraq and Ministry of Justice strongly denied the allegations, concerns remain about the lack of transparency surrounding the country’s execution process.

AFAD, the Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights, published on October 12 a report claiming that prison authorities carried out four waves of executions in September, the largest of which took place on September 24, when 21 prisoners were hanged at dawn.

AFAD claims that these executions were carried out without prisoners being allowed to write wills or contact their families. Prisoners were taken out of their cells in their sleep and hanged in groups of six, and some executions were accompanied by sectarian insults from the executioners. The bodies were handed over to the families the next day, who were reportedly asked to pay for the death certificates.

The report also claims that President Rashid approved the executions under pressure from Shiite political groups in Baghdad, despite the objections of prisoners who claimed they were tortured into signing confessions.

“Most of the victims were from Salah al-Din, Diyala, Anbar, Baghdad and Nineveh governorates. “Some of those executed were convicted on the basis of judgments issued under Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, known for his sectarian and electoral politics,” AFAD said.

AFAD provided video clips purportedly showing the bodies of those executed after they were returned to their families. The organization also distributed the death certificate of the executed Waed Salim Hussain from Talafer, Nineveh province. The document, dated July 22, was signed by the medical clinic at Nasiriyah Central Prison and listed the cause of death as “execution by hanging to death.” TNA was unable to independently verify the authenticity of the clips or documents, many of which were shared on social media platforms.

Iraqi officials quickly dismissed claims of mass executions in Nasiriyah, where at least 50 prisoners were reportedly hanged in September. In a statement on October 17, the presidency dismissed the allegations as “false rumors” aimed at creating chaos.

According to Iraq’s 2005 Constitution and Penal Code, executions are prohibited unless they are carried out in accordance with an official presidential decree, which is the sole competence of the President of Iraq. New Arab communicated with a senior Iraqi Justice Ministry official via cell phone and then text message. The official denied the accusations, but refused to make an official statement.

Speaking off the record, the official suggested that the lack of public notice of the executions was due to their connection to Iraqi national security. When asked about the constitutional requirement for public executions and official presidential orders, the official reiterated that execution orders are carried out only after a final court decision and in accordance with official presidential orders.

Presidency confirmed again that all death sentences in the country are carried out according to legal procedures, and that President Abdul Latif Rashid personally ratifies death sentences for convicted terrorists only after all legal avenues, including appeals and retrials, have been exhausted.

However, despite these objections, human rights groups and political figures have expressed concern about the lack of transparency of the process, suggesting that the executions may have been politically motivated.

TNA sent a message to the official website of the Iraqi president and spoke with an adviser to the Iraqi president, but had not received a response by the time of this report. TNA also spoke with an adviser to the Iraqi president, but the adviser, while denying the allegations, declined to be identified or speak officially on the matter.

Victims and conditions in Nasiriya prison

Among the videos allegedly released by AFAD was one showing the body of a 50-year-old man, Amjad Mohammed Rashid Salim, from Mosul.

There were also reports of psychological torture, when security officers allegedly took detainees out of cells under the guise of execution, only to return them later. Many prisoners are kept in cells without food and necessities, which increases their suffering.

The call to stop the executions was joined by well-known political figures, including the Sunni politician Sheikh Taer al-Bayati. Al-Bayati told TNA: “The committee formed to ratify these death sentences is composed entirely of Shias, without a single Sunni. In just two days, 70 innocent people were executed, many based on false accusations by secret informants.”

Jamal al-Dari, the leader of the National Project in Iraq, condemned the executions, saying they showed the government’s failure to overcome deep sectarian divisions. “The execution of so many Iraqis based on confessions extracted under torture and the statements of secret informants only deepens the divide in society,” he said in a statement.

These political leaders are calling for a delay in further executions until the long-awaited General Amnesty Law is fully implemented. The law, passed in 2016 but not yet implemented, could lead to the retrial of many on death row.

Concerns about the transparency of the judicial system

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly criticized Iraq’s judicial system, citing widespread use of torture, extortion of confessions, and lack of due process in death penalty cases. Razav Salihi, researcher of Amnesty Internationalexpressed concern about the lack of transparency in Nasiriya prison.

“We cannot confirm or deny the accuracy of the AFAD report, but they are in no way shocking. As Amnesty International, we are constantly receiving reports of inhumane conditions in Nasiriyah Central Prison. The guards regularly subject prisoners on death row to physical and psychological violence. “Some prisoners suffered repression in the form of beatings, solitary confinement and denial of medical care,” Salihi said.

“There is a complete lack of transparency around the process and the number of executions that are taking place, which will become increasingly opaque after the resumption of mass executions in December 2023. Families and lawyers often learn of executions only after they have taken place—a complete violation of prisoners’ rights. We are constantly monitoring the situation regarding death row and executions in Iraq,” Salihi added.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) forewarned In January, 150 inmates at Nasiriyah prison in Iraq face imminent execution if President Abdul Latif Rashid approves their sentences. HRW reported 13 executions on December 25, 2023 and called for an end to the executions due to miscarriage of justice. In response, the Office of the President sent a letter on March 7, 2024, detailing measures to protect the rights of death row inmates, including a system of requests for reconsideration, a commission to oversee the release of those who have served their sentences, and plans to reduce the number of death penalty cases through the revised Criminal Code of Iraq.

Despite the allegations, the Justice Department in a recent statement dismissed AFAD’s allegations as politically motivated, accusing the organization of falsifying information to damage Iraq’s reputation. The ministry has also threatened to sue media outlets that publish what it calls “false reports.”

In response to a media request, the AFAD Observatory provided video recordings of executed prisoners and voice recordings of victims’ families. AFAD commented: “The Justice Department routinely denies allegations against it, the Iraqi government, or the president. The Iraqi government has consistently denied similar reports by reputable international organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. on issues of the Sunni community.

These reports address serious issues, including arbitrary arrests, forced confessions, ill-treatment of prisoners, enforced disappearances and the plight of displaced persons and refugees.”

AFAD also highlighted the continued delay in the implementation of the General Amnesty Law passed by the Iraqi Parliament in 2016. “Continuously ignoring the law’s demands to reinvestigate and retry the innocent, who make up a large part of those detained, confirms what our Observatory and other human rights organizations say, this delay shows that the Coordination Structure, which represents the political core of the government, uses the issue as leverage in the legislative processes they push through parliament.”

The Observatory confirmed the correctness of its previous statement, emphasizing the unjust executions carried out under the pressure of the Coordination Framework. “Unfortunately, these executions have not stopped and we have evidence that another wave took place yesterday, Tuesday, October 15, as a preventive step before the expected approval of the amended General Amnesty Law,” AFAD said.