The Never-Ending and Never-Prosecuted Humanitarian Disaster in Iraq

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The Never-Ending and Never-Prosecuted Humanitarian Disaster in Iraq

Tuesday 28 February 2012
by: Dirk Adriaensens, Truthout | News Analysis


On 24 of January, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said she was "shocked" at reports that 34 individuals, including two women, were executed in Iraq on 19 January following their conviction for various crimes.

"Even if the most scrupulous fair trial standards were observed, this would be a terrifying number of executions to take place in a single day," she said.

"Given the lack of transparency in court proceedings, major concerns about due process and fairness of trials and the very wide range of offences for which the death penalty can be imposed in Iraq, it is a truly shocking figure."

"Most disturbingly," she added, "we do not have a single report of anyone on death row being pardoned, despite the fact there are well-documented cases of confessions being extracted under duress. (...) I call on the Government of Iraq to implement an immediate moratorium on the institution of death penalty." ...................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.truthout.org/never-ending-and-never-prosecuted-humanitarian-disaster-iraq/1330109137

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