Iraqi ministry of justice denies allegations of 'secret executions'

The Iraqi Ministry of Justice on Monday denied allegations it is conducting secret executions at Al-Hout Prison and announced plans to pursue legal action against media outlets that published these claims.

Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Laibi Abdul Hussein in a statement called the allegations false and condemned the misleading statements, which he said were intended to distort facts for political purposes.

It is not the first time the ministry has denied secret execution allegations, despite local and international rights groups alleging that Iraq is carrying out secret executions. For its part, Amnesty International said in May that the ministry carried out the mass execution of 13 people in 2023 in the Nasiriyah Central Prison, locally known as Al-Hout, without prior notice. 

Afad, an independent observatory monitoring human rights abuses in Iraq, recently said it documented 63 cases of secret executions. According to Iraq's 2005 constitution, such executions are banned, and signing execution decrees is an exclusive power of the Iraqi president. 

"The website should have verified the information with the competent authority instead of publishing unsubstantiated claims," Laibi said, emphasizing the ministry's commitment to upholding the constitution and human rights. He noted the ministry's openness to media inquiries to ensure accurate reporting.

The New Arab contacted Luaibi by phone several times and sent a written request for comment, but he has yet to respond at time of publication. 

An anonymous official from the Ministry of Justice claimed executions are carried out in batches, with groups of eight convicts brought into the execution chamber together, as reported by Al-Araby Al-Jadeed's journalist in Baghdad, Mohammed Basim.

Al-Araby Al-Jadeed is the Arabic-language sister publication to The New Arab.  

"The ministry will take legal action against the website and any other platforms that disseminate false information," Laibi said, urging media outlets, particularly national entities, to maintain objectivity and accuracy in their reporting.

Al-Hout Prison, notorious for its harsh conditions, is believed to hold about 40,000 inmates.