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Amnesty International deplores the execution in Baghdad of ‘Ali Hassan al-Majeed, also known as Chemical Ali, for his involvement in one of the worst atrocities committed under the government of Saddam Hussain.

‘Ali Hassan al-Majeed had been sentenced to death for a fourth time on 17 January for ordering a poison gas attack on the town of Halabja in 1988, which killed more than 5,600 members of Iraq’s Kurdish minority, many of them children and women.

He was executed by hanging on Monday following his conviction by the Supreme Iraqi Criminal Tribunal (SICT), which was set up to deal with crimes committed by the former government of Saddam Hussain.

Amnesty International has repeatedly expressed concerns about trial proceedings at the SICT, which have been undermined by political interference and fall far short of international standards for fair trial.

"Despite the enormity of the crimes of which Al Hassan al-Majid was convicted, we deplore his execution and consider it a step backwards," said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Director.
 
"In fact, it is only the latest of a mounting number of executions, some of whom did not receive fair trials, in gross violation of human rights."

The execution of al-Majeed comes at a time when the Iraqi authorities are making increased use of the death penalty. Currently, more than 900 prisoners are reported to be on death row, many of whom could be executed in the near future. Many were sentenced to death by the Central Criminal Court of Iraq after trials that failed to conform to international standards of fair trial.  

Al-Majid had been sentenced to death for genocide and crimes against humanity in three previous trials before the SICT.  

"The execution of Al Hassan al-Majid was long expected and, no doubt, many people who suffered because of the crimes of which he was found guilty will see it as bringing to a close a very sad, a very bad, chapter in Iraq’s history," said Malcolm Smart.

"However, all executions brutalize society and in Iraq, where killing has become the order of the day, the time has come to say ‘Enough!’"

Amnesty International has called on the Iraqi authorities to halt the mounting number of death sentences being handed out in the run-up to delayed national elections in March. br /
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Last week, 11 men were sentenced to death for allegedly committing terrorist acts including truck bombings, and on Sunday Ali Hassan al-Majid ndash; a former senior official under Saddam Hussain known widely as ldquo;Chemical Alirdquo; – was sentenced to death for the fourth time.br /
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ldquo;The Iraqi authorities have been using the death penalty increasingly in response to the grave security situation that continues to prevail in the country and which has seen numerous murderous attacks on civilians,rdquo; said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty Internationalrsquo;s director for the Middle East and North Africa. br /
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ldquo;However, this is not the answer. This is further brutalising Iraqi society and the fact that many attacks are carried out by suicide bombers indicates that it is certainly not an effective deterrent.rdquo;br /
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Little information about the trial of the 11 is available but in other cases it is known that trials before the Iraqi Central Criminal Court (ICCC) have been woefully inadequate, with defendants being convicted on the basis of confessions that they made allegedly under torture while held incommunicado in pre-trial detention. Many defendants did not even have lawyers of their choice to defend them.br /
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quot;Trials before the ICCC consistently fall short of international fair trial standards, according to evidence we have previously gathered,quot; said Malcolm Smart.br /
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In some cases, alleged quot;confessionsrdquo; made by defendants have been broadcast on Iraqi state television. br /
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In the wake of the 19 August 2009 Baghdad attack, an Iraqi TV channel showed a video of one of the defendants, Wissam lsquo;Ali Kadhem Ibrahim, confessing to planning one of the two truck bombings ndash; but there was no indication whether this ldquo;confessionrdquo; was freely given or obtained under duress.br /
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Another court, the Supreme Iraqi Criminal Tribunal, sentenced Saddam Hussainrsquo;s cousin, Ali Hassan al-Majid ndash; or ldquo;Chemical Alirdquo; ndash; to death for the fourth time. He was sentenced after being convicted of ordering a gas attack on the town of Halabja, which killed more than 5,600 members of Iraqrsquo;s Kurdish minority in 1988.br /
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ldquo;The Halabja killings were one of the very gravest crimes committed under Saddam Hussainrsquo;s government,rdquo; said Malcolm Smart. ldquo;We have called since 1988 for those responsible to be held to account. At the same time, we oppose the death penalty in all cases, even those involving the most heinous crimes.rdquo;br /

The Iraqi authorities must not forcibly relocate about 3,400 members of an Iranian opposition group from a settlement north of Baghdad where they have lived since the mid-1980’s, Amnesty International said on Friday. br /
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Sources have told Amnesty International that residents of Camp Ashraf, which is 60km north of Baghdad, have been given a deadline of 15 December 2009 to leave or they will be forcibly removed and relocated elsewhere in Iraq. Some may also be at risk of being forcibly returned to Iran. br /
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Camp Ashraf is home to over 3,000 members and supporters of the Iranian opposition group, the People’s Mojaheddin Organization of Iran (PMOI). The group have been living there for more than 20 yearsnbsp; and it is now a small town with shops, medical and other facilities. br /
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quot;Whatever measures the Iraqi authorities decide to take with regard to the future of Camp Ashraf, the rights of all its residents must be protected and guaranteed at all times,quot; said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa programme at Amnesty International. br /
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quot;Further no Iranian national in Iraq who is at risk of serious human rights violations in Iran should be forcibly returned there.quot; br /
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Government officials in Iraq have been quoted as saying plans are in place to forcibly remove people from the camp to other sites within Iraq in the coming days. br /
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Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has reportedly announced that Camp Ashraf’s residents will be moved to the southern province of Muthanna. br /
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Amnesty International fears that forced removals of the residents of Camp Ashraf would put them at risk of arbitrary arrest, torture or other forms of ill-treatment, and unlawful killing. br /
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Since mid-2008 the Iraqi government has repeatedly indicated that it wanted to close Camp Ashraf, and that its residents should leave Iraq or face being forcibly expelled from the country. br /
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On 28-29 July 2009 Iraqi security forces stormed the camp and at least nine residents were killed and many more injured. Another 36 who had been detained were reported to have been tortured and beaten. They were released on 7 October in poor health after maintaining a hunger strike throughout their period of detention. br /
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No investigations are known to have been carried out by the Iraqi authorities into their alleged torture and other ill-treatment or into allegations that Iraqi security forces used excessive, lethal force when taking control of Camp Ashraf last July.

img src=http://www.amnesty.org/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/imagecache/previewsize/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/PUBLIC/Regions/MENA/iraq-bomb-100.jpg alt= title= /br/Amnesty International has condemned the indiscriminate bomb attacks in Baghdad that killed at least 120 people, many of them civilians, and injured 400 other people on Tuesday. br /
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It is not known who carried out the bomb explosions in the Iraqi capital.nbsp; nbsp;br /
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ldquo;There can be absolutely no justification whatsoever for indiscriminate attacks or attacks which target civilians, as these seem to have done. Such attacks are war crimes. They must be investigated thoroughly by the authorities and those responsible must be identified and brought to justice.rdquo; said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty Internationalrsquo;s director for the Middle East and North Africa. br /
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According to news reports, at least five bomb explosions shook the city on Tuesday morning. The first explosion went off in Baghdadrsquo;s southern al-Doura district and was apparently aimed at a police patrol but killed at least 12 students from a nearby college. br /
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Another four near simultaneous car bombs exploded close to government buildings, reported to house the Labour, Health and Interior Ministries. br /
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Amnesty International has repeatedly condemned car bomb and other attacks targeting civilians in Iraq, some of which appear to have been intended to re-ignite sectarian divisions between Iraqrsquo;s Sunni and Shirsquo;a communities and members of various ethnic and religious minorities. br /
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Tuesdayrsquo;s coordinated attacks follow a decision by Iraqrsquo;s parliament to pass a new electoral law two days ago paving the way for a general election to be held early next year. Passage of the law was previously delayed due to a dispute over its terms.

img src=http://www.amnesty.org/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/imagecache/previewsize/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/PUBLIC/Regions/MENA/iraq-noose-100×100.jpg alt= title= /br/The Iraqi authorities must immediately stop the executions of more than 900 people on death row who have exhausted their legal appeals and could be put to death at any time, Amnesty International said.br /
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The prisoners, who include 17 women, are said to have had their death sentences ratified by the Presidential Council, the final step before executions are carried out.br /
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At least 120 people are known to have been executed in Iraq so far this year.br /
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quot;In a country which already has one of the highest rates of execution in the world, the prospect that this statistic may rise significantly is disturbing indeed,quot; said Philip Luther, Deputy Director of Amnesty Internationalrsquo;s Middle East and North Africa Programme.br /
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Many of the condemned prisoners have been convicted of offences such as murder and kidnapping. Some are likely to have been sentenced after unfair trials.br /
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The government is reportedly trying to present itself as being tough on crime and capable of overcoming the difficult security situation in the country, before the national elections in 2010.br /
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Opposition politicians have expressed concern that executions may be carried out to allow the ruling al-Darsquo;wa party to gain political advantage ahead of the elections. They have called on the government to temporarily suspend all executions.br /
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One of those women facing execution is Samar Sarsquo;ad lsquo;Abdullah, who was sentenced to death on 15 August 2005. She had been found guilty of the murder of her uncle, his wife and one of their children in Baghdad.br /
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Samar Sarsquo;ad lsquo;Abdullah was reported to have blamed the killings on her fianceacute;, who, she said, had carried them out in order to rob her uncle.br /
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At her trial, Samar Sarsquo;ad lsquo;Abdullah alleged that, after her arrest, police in Hay al-Khadhra, Baghdad, had beaten her with a cable, beaten the soles of her feet (falaqa) and subjected her to electric shocks to make her ldquo;confessrdquo;.br /
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The judge failed to order an investigation into her allegations, and sentenced her to death.br /
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Her father, Sarsquo;ad lsquo;Abdel- Majid lsquo;Abd al-Karim, told Amnesty International the trial was concluded in less than two days, that he was not permitted entry to the court, and that Amal lsquo;Abdel-Amir al-Zubaidi, one of Samarrsquo;s lawyers, was ordered out of the court by the trial judge.br /
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Samar Sarsquo;ad lsquo;Abdullah’s death sentence was confirmed by the Court of Cassation on 26 February 2007.br /
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Since the reintroduction of the death penalty in August 2004, at least 1,000 people have been sentenced to death and scores have been executed. There are no official figures for the number of prisoners facing execution.br /
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After all avenues of appeal have been exhausted, death sentences are referred to the Presidential Council, composed of the President and the two Vice-Presidents, for ratification, after which they are carried out.br /
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The President, Jalal Talabani, opposes the death penalty and delegates his ratification powers to the two Vice-Presidents, who do not oppose its use.br /
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Amnesty International has repeatedly urged the Iraqi authorities to establish an immediate moratorium on executions.br /
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quot;The Iraqi government must heed international demands to stop executions,quot; said Philip Luther.

Amnesty International has strongly condemned the killing of at least 155 people, mostly civilians, in twin suicide bomb attacks in Baghdad on Sunday.br /
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The attacks were carried out almost simultaneously in central Baghdad. A truck bomb was exploded near the ministries of justice and municipalities, just before 10:30am local time. Minutes later a second attack, a car bomb, exploded just outside the Baghdad Governorate building.br /
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In addition to those killed, at least 700 people were wounded, making this the deadliest attack in over two years.br /
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The two ministries and the governorate are reported to have been badly damaged.br /
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No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks. This latest attack is similar to the one which damaged the finance and foreign affairs ministries on 19 August 2009, in which 147 people were killed and almost 500 were injured.br /
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Amnesty International said that as direct attacks on civilians these latest bomb attacks constitute war crimes. br /
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The organization said that if the blasts are part of a widespread or systematic attack on the civilian population of Iraq in furtherance of a particular organization or armed group’s policy, they also constitute crimes against humanity.br /
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War crimes and crimes against humanity are among the most serious crimes under international law. Amnesty International said that the attacks must be stopped immediately and those responsible must be brought to justice.br /
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Since US troops pulled out from cities and towns on 30 June 2009, hundreds of civilians have been killed by armed groups and many more injured.br /
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This latest carnage is a reminder that the security situation in Iraq remains very dangerous. Despite this, in recent months, several European countries, including the United Kingdom, Sweden and Denmark, have forcibly returned Iraqis to central and southern Iraq. br /
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Only last week the UK tried to forcibly return about 44 Iraqi asylum seekers to Baghdad; 10 people were allowed entry but the others were returned to the UK by the Iraqi authorities. br /
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On 23 October 2009 the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, publicly appealed to host countries, especially those in Europe, not to forcibly return Iraqis from Iraqrsquo;s central regions because of the dangerous security conditions prevailing there.nbsp; br /
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img src=http://www.amnesty.org/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/imagecache/previewsize/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/PUBLIC/Regions/MENA/iran-abbas-hosseini-100×100.jpg alt= title= /br/The Iranian authorities are planning to execute a man alleged to have killed when he was only 17 on Monday. Amnesty International has warned that the execution, in Mashhad, north-eastern Iran, of Afghan national Abbas Hosseini must be stopped. br /
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Amnesty International condemned the Iranian authoritiesrsquo; moves to once more violate its international obligations by setting a renewed date for the execution of a juvenile offender. br /
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ldquo;It is sickening that Iran continues to flout international law by arranging to kill those who committed crimes as children,rdquo; said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Middle East Deputy Programme Director at Amnesty International. ldquo;We appeal to the Head of the Judiciary to issue, with immediate effect, an order to stay this execution and to ensure that Abbas Hosseinirsquo;s death sentence is overturned.rdquo; br /
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Abbas Hosseinirsquo;s June 2004 death sentence imposed by Branch 43 of the General Court in Mashhad for the murder of a man who had tried to rape him in July 2003 was upheld by Branch 41 of the Supreme Court on 30 September 2004. He claimed before the court to have committed the crime quot;in a moment of insanityquot;, but this was rejected. nbsp;br /
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He was due to be executed on 1 May 2005, but at the last minute was granted a one-week stay of execution to give the victimrsquo;s family another opportunity to accept payment of diyeh (blood money). br /
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At the same time, the Head of the Judiciary ordered the local judiciary in Mashhad not to proceed with the execution and Abbas Hosseinirsquo;s case was sent for review. On 27 April 2008, Branch 13 of the Supreme Court sent the case for retrial on account of Abbas Hosseinirsquo;s age at the time of the crime. br /
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Nonetheless, he was sentenced to death once again on 5 August 2008 by Branch 103 of the General Juvenile Court in Mashhad. This sentence was upheld on 29 December 2008 by Branch 33 of the Supreme Court and has been given final approval by the Head of the Judiciary, paving the way for the scheduling of his execution. br /
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The victim’s family are refusing to pardon him in exchange for monetary compensation in the form of diyeh.br /
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ldquo;Not only has Abbas Hosseini been sentenced to death for a crime committed when he was a child,quot; said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui. quot;But the protracted judicial uncertainty surrounding the review and retrial of his case, and the halting at the last minute of his scheduled execution which has led to him languishing on death row in prison since 2004, compounds his suffering.rdquo; br /
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Since 1990, at least 41 alleged juvenile offenders have been executed in Iran and over 140 are known to remain on death row. At least three have been executed so far in 2009, in breach of Iranrsquo;s international obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child which unequivocally ban the execution of juvenile offenders.

Two Iranian refugees remain in detention in Turkey despite a European Court of Human Rights ruling on Tuesday should be released, according to Amnesty International. The court ruled that Mohsen Abdolkhani and Hamid Karimnia had been arbitrarily detained in Turkey without access to a lawyer or an asylum procedure, and other violations. br /
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The Court concluded that the two men, who were former members of the Peoplersquo;s Mojahedin Organization in Iran (PMOI), would face a real risk of death or ill-treatment if returned to Iran or Iraq. br /
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Amnesty International called on the Turkish authorities to release Mohsen Abdolkhani and Hamid Karimnia as well as others currently in detention following a decision by the European Court of Human Rights to stay their deportation. br /
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quot;Mohsen Abdolkhani and Hamid Karimnia have been held in unlawful detention for more than a year,quot; said Andrew Gardner, Amnesty Internationalrsquo;s expert on Turkey. quot;They should be released immediately along with all others in a similar position, but not included in this application.quot;br /
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Amnesty International had previously written to the Turkish authorities requesting the release of the applicants and seven other individuals who were held in detention following applications to the court. br /
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Mohsen Abdolkhani and Hamid Karimnia were recognized as refugees by UNHCR, the UNrsquo;s refugee agency, while they were resident in a camp created by United States forces in Iraq. Their status was recognized on the grounds of their political opinions and their links with the PMOI. nbsp;br /
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After the camp was closed in April 2008, the two men fled to Turkey, but were apprehended by security forces and deported back to Iraq without any legal procedure. After re-entering Turkey, they were once again apprehended and subsequently convicted of illegal entry into Turkey. br /
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Despite their statements to police and to the court that their lives would be at risk if returned to Iran or Iraq, the authorities attempted to deport them again, this time to Iran. br /
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They were transferred in September 2008 to the Kirklareli Foreignersrsquo; Guesthouse after their application to the to the European Court of Human Rights against the deportation was lodged. They remain in detention more than a year later. br /
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Throughout their detention, the men have been denied access to an asylum procedure, to meet with their lawyers and to any mechanism to challenge the legality of their detention.br /
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Amnesty International is calling on the Turkish authorities to overhaul its legislation relating to the detention of refugees and asylum-seekers.br /
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quot;Turkey must end the practice of detaining refugees and asylum-seekers for immigration purposes in line with international human rights standards which require that detention is only used in the most exceptional circumstances,quot; Andrew Gardner said.

img src=http://www.amnesty.org/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/imagecache/previewsize/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/PUBLIC/Regions/MENA/iraq-muntadhar-al-zaidix100.jpg alt= title= /br/The Iraqi authorities should establish an immediate and independent investigation into allegations by journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi, released on Tuesday after serving nine months in prison, that he was tortured by senior – as yet unnamed – government officials, said Amnesty International.br /
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The journalist was sentenced to a three year prison term, later reduced to one year, for throwing his shoes – at former US President George W Bush during a press conference in Baghdad last year.br /
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quot;The Iraqi authorities have a duty to investigate, promptly, fully and independently, all allegations of torture and ill-treatment, including those made by Muntadhar al-Zaidi after his release yesterday, and to prosecute any persons found to be responsible for such abuses,quot; said Malcolm Smart, Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme.br /
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Muntadhar al-Zaidi has alleged that Iraqi security forces began torturing him immediately after his arrest.br /
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The 30-year-old said he was beaten with iron bars, whipped with cords and subjected to electric shock torture by Iraqi officials in the backyard of a building in the Green Zone area used by US forces in Baghdad.br /
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The correspondent of the Cairo-based Iraqi television channel emal-Baghdadiya/em threw his shoes at President Bush on 14 December 2008 during a joint press conference between the US leader and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in Baghdad.br /
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Al-Zaidi was given a three year sentence for publicly insulting a foreign head of state, which was later commuted on appeal to one year. He was released three months early for good behaviour.br /
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Shortly after his arrest, Amnesty International called on the Iraqi authorities to investigate allegations, made by his family, that Muntadhar al-Zaidi had been beaten and assaulted after he was taken into custody, and to ensure his safety in detention, but received no response.br /
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Torture and other ill-treatment of detainees by Iraqi security forces remains common and widespread. In recent years, the government has announced investigations into several high profile cases of alleged torture but the outcome of these has rarely been made known.