The ACIJLP calls upon the Iraqi authorities to freeze the enforcement of death sentences and immediate moratorium of this penalty

 

Cairo on 16 Septemper 2012

The ACIJLP calls upon the Iraqi authorities to freeze the enforcement of death sentences and immediate moratorium of this penalty

The Arab Center for Independence of the Judiciary and Legal Professions (ACIJLP) expresses its deep concern over the deteriorating human rights situation in Iraq, particularly violations against the right to life, either through armed militias or through a steady rise in death sentences.

The ACIJLP raised several concerns on death sentences in Iraq and accelerating its enforcement in a collective manner, especially in light of the lack of Iraqi trials to the guarantees of fair trial, a matter which descended these sentences from the ranks of judicial judgments, to what looks like physical liquidation, and extrajudicial killings.

Furthermore, the ACIJLP is deeply concerned that many of the Iraqi TV channels consistently broadcast confessions registered for many of the defendants, in which they admit committing crimes punishable by death, a matter which refers to the possibility of exposing these defendants to torture in order to get them to confess committing crimes suspects.

The ACIJLP calls upon the Iraqi authorities to fulfill international obligations and commitments related to the protection of the right to life, to freeze death sentences and to ensure minimum guarantees of fair trial, until the abolition of the death penalty.

The ACIJLP also calls upon the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions to urge the Iraqi authorities to freeze the enforcement of the death sentences and replace such penalties with alternative penalties after providing fair trials and fair to the accused.

It should be noted that the year 2011 witnesses the issuance of 291 sentenced to death, implemented by the Iraqi authorities, including 28 executions. In the year 2012, the number of those persons sentence to death has increased to 96 people. On 27^th and 29^th (August 2012), the Iraqi Ministry of Justice ordered the execution of 26 Iraqi people, without specifying the details of the charges against the convicted and convicted for terrorism.

According to UN statistics, Iraq has witnessed the issuance of death sentences of more than 1200 people since 2004, but the number of those who were executed is still unknown. The Iraqi judiciary allows the death penalty in about 50 crimes, including terrorism, kidnapping, murder and other crimes such as damage to public utilities and property.