Nassiriya, 21 death sentences on 'terrorism' charges
Those already executed were all Iraqis. Their crimes are not known. 11 French and one Belgian also among those sentenced to death, former Islamic State fighters. Iraq is the fifth country in the world for the number of executions.
Nassiriya (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Twenty-one men were sentenced to death for terrorism, yesterday in the Nassiriya prison, in the province of Dhi Qar, in the south of the country.
The 21 killed came from different provinces of the country. The sentencing on terrorism is known, but there is no specific information on their crimes.
Iraq, the second country in the world for the production of crude oil, has been hit hard by terrorist attacks for at least 2 decades, following the fall of Saddam Hussein and a radical Sunni revolt linked to the former comrades of the dictator, resulting in the invasion of a part of the country by Isis (which later became the Islamic State, IS).
Since the defeat of the IS, Iraq has sentenced hundreds of Iraqis to death for being members of the jihadist group. Among those sentenced to death there are also some dozen foreigners, who have also come to the country to fight with the IS. At present 11 French and one Belgian are on death row, but their sentence has not yet been carried out.
Iraq is heavily criticized by international human rights organizations for its ease in using the death penalty. Last year 100 death sentences were carried out, many of them for "terrorism". Iraq, which is the fifth country in the world for executions, is also accused of extorting confessions through torture.
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