2009: Iraq executes 120

2009-12-05 18:30

Baghdad - 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 on 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.

- AFP