How’s It Hangin?

Iraq Executes Over 60 in 2012

Human Rights – It is only February and the Iraqi government has already executed more than 60 prisoners this year, according to a new report from Human Rights Watch (HRW). In Iraq, people can be executed for nearly 50 crimes including murder and acts of terrorism, as well as what might be considered minor crimes, like damaging public property.

HRW belives that courts in Iraq accept confessions obtained under coercion for evidence in many of the cases, and they are asking the government for full disclosure of the identities of all prisoners on death row, their crimes, court records, and details of any scheduled executions. The United Nations believe more than 1,200 people have been sentenced with capital punishment over the last 8 years.

“The Iraqi government seems to have given state executioners the green light to execute at will. The government needs to declare an immediate moratorium on all executions and begin an overhaul of its flawed criminal justice system,” stated Joe Stork, the Deputy Middle East Director HRW.

Iraq has confirmed 14 prisoners were executed on February 8 alone, and it does not appear to be ending any time soon. “You should expect more executions in the coming days and weeks,” an official from Iraq’s Justice Ministry stated.

While HRW opposes executions for any reason, international human rights law requires such punishment must be imposed for only the most serious offenses, humanely, and after a fair trial.

Read more at Human Rights Watch.