Mass executions spark outrage in Iraq
At least 50 prisoners were hanged at Nasiriyah Central Prison in September, with four separate execution events taking place throughout the month.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – A human rights organization has accused Iraqi authorities of carrying out mass executions, including elderly inmates and some using "horrific" methods. The group, AFAD, has placed the blame squarely on President Abdul Latif Rashid.
In a report, AFAD detailed how Iraq conducted one of its largest mass executions since the 2003 toppling of Saddam Hussein.
At least 50 prisoners were hanged at Nasiriyah Central Prison in September, with four separate execution events taking place throughout the month.
The largest of these occurred on September 24, when 21 inmates were taken from their cells at dawn and hanged in groups of six, often amidst sectarian insults.
AFAD's investigation revealed that President Rashid signed the execution orders under pressure from sectarian and armed factions in Baghdad, despite evidence suggesting that many of the prisoners had been tortured and coerced into confessions.
The majority of those executed were from the governorates of Salahaddin, Diyala, al-Anbar, Baghdad, Nineveh, and Babil. Some of the sentences dated back to the era of Nouri al-Maliki, a former prime minister known for his "retaliatory and sectarian approach."
Among those executed was a 68-year-old man who had endured severe torture.
AFAD reported that prison staff routinely employ psychological torture, including mock executions, leading to fainting and hunger strikes. This inhumane practice is said to be unprecedented in other parts of the world.
The human rights organization held President Rashid accountable for what it called a "massacre," claiming the lives of at least 50 prisoners.
Rashid's presidency has been marked by numerous executions, despite warnings from both international and local human rights organizations about the potential for innocent individuals to be executed.
AFAD urged international organizations to oppose Iraq's secret executions, accusing the authorities of exploiting regional and global events to carry out death sentences that have not been finalized or supported by credible evidence.
