Public outcry prompts Iraqi president to revoke pardon for drug trafficker

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi President Barham Salih on Monday withdrew a pardon he had given to a drug trafficking convict and two other individuals following public outcry over the decision. 

In a statement, the Iraqi presidency announced the immediate revocation of the decree and the re-arrest of the convicts, who some believe have left the country. 

Jawad Louay al-Yasseri, the son of the former Najaf governor, was arrested in 2018 on drug trafficking charges, according to the interior ministry. 

The former governor himself also stepped down in the face of corruption charges, which he denies, and defends his son's innocence, claiming he had been targeted to damage his father's reputation. 

Al-Yasseri was later given a life sentence, which is 20 years in Iraq. 

The Iraqi presidency claimed the initial decision was in line with existing laws. It said it hadn't been "carefully examined" and blamed the negligence of lower-ranking offices of the presidency for not adhering to "strict rules." 

In early January, the Iraqi presidency issued a special pardon to free al-Yasseri and two other convicts. 

Journalists and politicians were outraged by the decision. There were even small demonstrations in Baghdad. 

"Thousands of victims of confessions under torture are rotting in prison without His Excellency the President thinking of pardoning them," Mashan al-Jabouri, a member of the main Sunni bloc in parliament, tweeted.

The public outrage against Salih comes as he seeks a second term as president. 

Drug trafficking is widespread in Iraq's southern provinces. Maysan and Basra are considered the "leading" southern provinces for narcotics trafficking and consumption, according to Iraq's interior ministry.