ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Iraqi justice ministry announced that as of Sunday 1,000 inmates have been released from jails across the country under the general amnesty law, which took effect in mid-February.
“This release came after the completion of all necessary legal procedures and final judicial rulings,” the ministry stated.
According to ministry data, Iraq’s 30 prisons house some 67,000 inmates, including 1,600 foreigners.
“The process [to release inmates] is underway, but implementing the law will take more time because we must review the cases of prisoners covered by the [general amnesty] law to see if they have any other charges against them,” ministry spokesperson Ahmed al-Luaibi told Rudaw.
The general amnesty law, which amended the 2016 law’s interpretation of affiliation with terrorist organizations, was pushed by Sunni Arab lawmakers. The amendment was a key prerequisite for Sunni blocs to agree to join the ruling State Administration Coalition, which was formed in September 2022 and backed Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani into office.
Sunni lawmakers argue that thousands from their community have been unjustly imprisoned in Shiite-majority Iraq since 2003 over alleged terrorism links.
On Thursday, the Iraqi justice ministry stated that hundreds of inmates were being “released daily” under the general amnesty law.
The controversial law went into effect in mid-February after being published in the Official Gazette of Iraq, along with two other controversial laws demanded by Shiite and Kurdish lawmakers - the personal status and land restitution laws, respectively.
The Islamic State (ISIS) seized vast swathes of Iraqi territory in 2014. During the liberation battles, thousands were arrested for suspected ISIS links, particularly in Sunni-majority provinces, like Anbar, Nineveh and Salahaddin provinces.
Malik Mohammed contributed to this report.
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