At the Third Committee Andreas Mavrommatis, Special...

At the Third Committee Andreas Mavrommatis, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iraq, introduced his report by welcoming the recent decree of the Revolutionary Command Council signed by President Saddam Hussein on 20 October, granting a general amnesty for all prisoners, including political prisoners with certain exceptions. His visit to Iraq last February had paved the way for future cooperation. As indicated in his interim report to the General Assembly, he had limited himself to briefly considering mainly few issues, among them: the list of crimes that currently carried the death penalty; the list of executions carried out in Iraq during 2000 and 2001; the prison conditions and reform. Before concluding, he urged the Iraqi Government to provide him with all additional information requested in relation to the death penalty; to implement a moratorium on executions; to put an end to actions and policies which directly or indirectly affected or encouraged religious intolerance; to abolish the special courts; and ensure that all legislation, decrees and practices were consistent with Iraq's freely undertaken obligations under international human rights instruments.