Iraq Executes 21 on Terror and Murder Charges

Iraq announced it has executed 21 people on terrorism and murder charges at a prison in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah. Among those who were hanged, according to the Iraqi Interior Ministry, were several people involved in suicide attacks that killed dozens in Tal Afar, about 40 miles west of Mosul and 35 miles southeast of the Syrian border. Since the defeat of Islamic State in 2017 by Iraqi and international forces, the country has put hundreds of jihadists and others on trial and conducted several mass executions of suspected militants. Human rights groups allege that Iraq’s judicial processes are inconsistent, including flawed trials, leading to unfair convictions. According to Amnesty International, in 2019, Iraq ranked fourth in the world among countries carrying out death sentences behind China, Iran and Saudi Arabia. At least 100 executions took place in Iraq that year, according to the human rights group.