Iraq: at least 120 executions in 2009

Iraq has executed at least 120 prisoners this year and 900 remain on death row, human rights group Amnesty International has said in a statement.

The rights watchdog urged Baghdad to stop the executions of all people condemned to death, adding that "some are likely to have been sentenced after unfair trials," according to the statement released late Friday.

"At least 120 people are known to have been executed in Iraq so far this year," said the London-based organisation.

Baghdad reintroduced the death penalty in 2004, after a brief moratorium immediately following the US-led invasion of the country in 2003. Those sentenced to death are usually hanged.

"In a country which already has one of the highest rates of execution in the world, the prospect that this statistic may rise significantly is disturbing indeed," said Philip Luther, deputy director of Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa programme.

According to Amnesty, at least 285 people were sentenced to death in Iraq and 34 executed in 2008. In 2007, at least 199 were sentenced and 33 executed.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is an ardent supporter of capital punishment, but President Jalal Talabani opposes its use.

Source: Agence France-Presse, December 5, 2009

Over 900 people on death row in Iraq face imminent execution

Some of the 900 facing execution are likely to have been sentenced after unfair trials. Samar Sa'ad 'Abdullah, has alleged she was subjected to electric shocks to make her 'confess'.

The Iraqi authorities must immediately stop the executions of more than 900 people on death row who have exhausted their legal appeals and could be put to death at any time, Amnesty International said.

The prisoners, who include 17 women, are said to have had their death sentences ratified by the Presidential Council, the final step before executions are carried out.

At least 120 people are known to have been executed in Iraq so far this year.

"In a country which already has one of the highest rates of execution in the world, the prospect that this statistic may rise significantly is disturbing indeed," said Philip Luther, Deputy Director of Amnesty Internationals Middle East and North Africa Programme.

Many of the condemned prisoners have been convicted of offences such as murder and kidnapping. Some are likely to have been sentenced after unfair trials.

The government is reportedly trying to present itself as being tough on crime and capable of overcoming the difficult security situation in the country, before the national elections in 2010.

Opposition politicians have expressed concern that executions may be carried out to allow the ruling al-Da'wa party to gain political advantage ahead of the elections. They have called on the government to temporarily suspend all executions.

One of those women facing execution is Samar Saad Abdullah, who was sentenced to death on 15 August 2005. She had been found guilty of the murder of her uncle, his wife and one of their children in Baghdad.

Samar Sa'ad 'Abdullah was reported to have blamed the killings on her fiance, who, she said, had carried them out in order to rob her uncle.

At her trial, Samar Sa'ad 'Abdullah alleged that, after her arrest, police in Hay al-Khadhra, Baghdad, had beaten her with a cable, beaten the soles of her feet (falaqa) and subjected her to electric shocks to make her

"confess."

The judge failed to order an investigation into her allegations, and sentenced her to death.

Her father, Sa'ad 'Abdel- Majid 'Abd al-Karim, told Amnesty International the trial was concluded in less than 2 days, that he was not permitted entry to the court, and that Amal 'Abdel-Amir al-Zubaidi, one of Samar's lawyers, was ordered out of the court by the trial judge.

Samar Sa'ad 'Abdullah's death sentence was confirmed by the Court of Cassation on 26 February 2007.

Since the reintroduction of the death penalty in August 2004, at least 1,000 people have been sentenced to death and scores have been executed. There are no official figures for the number of prisoners facing execution.

After all avenues of appeal have been exhausted, death sentences are referred to the Presidential Council, composed of the President and the 2 Vice-Presidents, for ratification, after which they are carried out.

The President, Jalal Talabani, opposes the death penalty and delegates his ratification powers to the 2 Vice-Presidents, who do not oppose its use.

Amnesty International has repeatedly urged the Iraqi authorities to establish an immediate moratorium on executions.

"The Iraqi government must heed international demands to stop executions," said Philip Luther.

Source: Amnesty International, December 5, 2009