Iraq releases over 19,000 prisoners under new amnesty Including some former ISIL members

Iraq has granted freedom to more than 19,000 prisoners as part of a sweeping amnesty law aimed at alleviating the strain on its overcrowded prison system.

Among those released are individuals convicted of membership in ISIL (ISIS), according to judicial authorities who made the announcement on May 13, Caliber.Az reports, citing Al Jazeera.

The new law, enacted in January, provides legal reprieves to individuals convicted on terrorism-related charges, including some former members of the extremist group. Notably, the law has also led to a halt in all executions, even those of individuals previously convicted for their ties to ISIL. This group had once controlled almost a third of Iraq’s territory, seizing major cities like Mosul, Tikrit, and Fallujah in 2014, before being defeated in 2017. Their reign of terror resulted in the deaths of thousands, the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people, and the destruction of significant areas, including the decimation of the Yazidi population.

Many of those involved with ISIL were arrested as Iraqi forces retook the territories once held by the group. Under the terms of the new amnesty law, some prisoners convicted of involvement with armed groups are eligible for release, retrial, or case dismissal. However, those found guilty of killings tied to “extremism” are excluded from the amnesty’s provisions.

The law has found strong support from Sunni lawmakers, who have long argued that Iraq’s anti-terrorism laws disproportionately affected Sunni communities, especially in the years following the country’s intense crackdown on ISIL. The new law allows detainees to request retrials if they claim their confessions were obtained through torture or coercion while in custody.

A meeting chaired by Supreme Judicial Council President Faeq Zeidan confirmed that between January and April, 19,381 prisoners had been released under the new law. The broader impact of the legislation, which includes those sentenced in absentia, granted bail, or with arrest warrants lifted, now affects a total of 93,597 individuals.

The reforms come in response to mounting pressure on Iraq’s prison system, which is struggling with severe overcrowding. Justice Minister Khalid Shwani reported that the country’s 31 prisons are currently holding around 65,000 inmates, nearly double their intended capacity. “When we took office, overcrowding stood at 300 per cent,” he told The Associated Press. “After two years of reform, we’ve reduced it to 200 percent. Our goal is to bring that down to 100 per cent by next year in line with international standards.”

There are still thousands of individuals in the custody of Iraq’s security forces, but they have yet to be transferred to the Ministry of Justice due to a lack of available space.

The new amnesty law also covers those convicted of nonviolent crimes, such as corruption, theft, and drug use. However, the reforms have not come without controversy. Iraq has faced considerable international criticism for its use of the death penalty, with rights groups condemning mass executions and opaque legal processes. This includes the practice of carrying out death sentences without notifying the prisoners’ families or legal representatives.

Just last month, Amnesty International raised concerns after at least 13 men were executed in Nasiriya Central Prison in the southern governorate of Thi Qar, following their convictions on charges deemed by many as overly broad and vague. The charges were primarily related to terrorism, but critics argue the definitions were so wide that they could be applied to a variety of offences.

By Tamilla Hasanova