NASIRIYAH: Iraq hanged 38 jihadists belonging to the militant Islamic State group or Al Qaeda for terrorism offences on Thursday in the southern city of Nasiriyah, provincial authorities said.

It was the largest number of executions in Iraq on a single day since September 25 when 42 people were put to death in the same prison.

“The prison administration executed on Thursday in the presence of Justice Minister Haidar al-Zameli, in Nasiriyah prison, 38 death row prisoners belonging to Al Qaeda or Daesh (IS) accused of terrorist activities,” said Dakhel Kazem, a senior official in the provincial council.

They were all Iraqis but one also had Swedish citizenship, a prison source said.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Saturday declared victory against IS after a three-year campaign by government forces backed by a US-led coalition to retake territory seized by the jihadists.

Rights watchdog Amnesty International has voiced repeated concerns about the use of the death penalty in Iraq, which it ranks as one of the world’s top executioners behind China, Iran and Saudi Arabia.

In a report released on December 5, Human Rights Watch criticised both Iraq’s central government and the autonomous Kurdish authorities over mass trials of suspected IS jihadists. HRW said the authorities “appear to be prosecuting all ISIS (IS) suspects in their custody under counter-terrorism laws, primarily for ISIS membership, and not focusing on specific actions or crimes that may have been committed”.

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2017