Iraq releases thousands of Maliki-era prisoners

Iraqi authorities have released close to 10,000 prisoners from the who were jailed under the administration of former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a spokesman for the judiciary said.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab

23 May, 2016

Many have accused Iraqi authorities of carrying out human rights abuses in prison [Getty]

The Iraqi judiciary is seeking to resolve the cases of thousands of detainees who were imprisoned during the eight-year administration of former Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki.

"The country's courts have released around 9,250 unconvicted detainees," Judge Abdul Sattar Bayrakdar, spokesperson for the judiciary said in a press statement.

"8198 were released during the investigation phase," he said, adding that the remaining were released after trial.

Of the released detainees, 1099 prisoners had originally been charged under Article IV of the Anti-terrorism Act.

Iraqi human rights organisations called on the government to act on the issue of thousands of detainees who still languish in prison since the Maliki administration.

"It's imperative that the judiciary deal with this issue quickly and increase the number of competent committees which track prisoners' files," said Nafa al-Rawi, an Iraqi human rights activist.

"It is imperative that the judiciary deal with this issue quickly and increase the number of competent authorities who are tracking the cases of prisoners."

The Maliki administration saw hundreds of thousands of arrests that have been described as politically motivated.

Many have alleged numerous human rights abuses in Iraqi prisons. Last year, prisoners alleged that guards force families to pay thousands of dollars to keep them out of solitary confinement, or pay backhanders through elaborate schemes for access to medicine.