Iraq hangs three people on 'terrorism' charges

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi authorities hanged three individuals convicted of "terrorism" in the southern province of Nasiriyah on Tuesday, security sources told AFP. 

Two of the executed men had been accused of involvement in two separate car bombs, one in Nasiriyah and the other in the shrine city of Karbala, in 2013, the security sources told the French news agency.

All the executions took place at the notorious Nasiriyah Central Prison, which rights groups have previously criticized for its poor conditions. 

Iraq executed 50 individuals in 2020 alone, according to Amnesty International. 

The country regularly faces outrage from rights groups for the practice. These groups accuse Iraq of "unfair trials and interrogations" as well as torture. 

"There is pervasive evidence of flawed terrorism trials in Iraq, which has one of the highest execution rates in the world and where defendants are routinely denied their due process rights," the New York-based Human Rights Watch said in late 2020. 

Read More: EU condemns 21 executions in Iraq; HRW claims unfair trials

On Monday, the United Nations Assistance Mission Iraq (UNAMI) noted that 2021 "marked the 10th anniversary of Iraq's accession to the Convention against Torture."

"The Committee against Torture will discuss w/ Iraq Government on the steps taken to combat #torture next year (April/May 2022)," UNAMI tweeted. 

Justice in #Iraq: 2021 marked the 10th anniversary of Iraq’s accession to the Convention against Torture. The Committee against Torture will discuss w/ Iraq Government on the steps taken to combat #torture next year (April/May 2022). https://t.co/L3ZwZDyLf7 #StandUp4HumanRights pic.twitter.com/cVGuXEz53N

— UNAMI (@UNIraq) December 13, 2021