Iraq
Death penalty and prisoners' rights · Archive since 1999
Data card
- Legal status
- Retentionist
- Executions recorded in 2026
- 1
- Executions recorded in 2025
- 0
- First news item in the archive
- JANUARY 1, 1999 · In mid-January, Col
- News items in the archive
- 866
Source: Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026.
Iraq is classified as Retentionist in the Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026. In 2026 the association recorded 1 executions in the country, against 0 the year before. The archive holds 866 news items on Iraq, from 1999 to today.
Latest news
- DECEMBER 17, 2003IraqDEATH PENALTY
The capture of Saddam Husayn and his future had "caused...
The capture of Saddam Husayn and his future had "caused a rift" among members of the Iraqi Governing Council, the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Ra'y al-Amm reported, quoting "sources close to the Governing Council"
- DECEMBER 17, 2003IraqDEATH PENALTY
"I am against the death penalty for Saddam Hussein...
"I am against the death penalty for Saddam Hussein and the majority of Italians are also against it", said Italian Defence Minister, Antonio Martino, in answer to questions from reporters asking his opinion in this issue
- DECEMBER 16, 2003IraqDEATH PENALTY
Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, in an interview...
Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, in an interview with the Vremya novostei daily, said that the Iraqis themselves should judge Saddam and decide his fate, as an internation tribunal for Iraq does not exist
- DECEMBER 15, 2003IraqDEATH PENALTY
The United States would not object to Saddam Hussein...
The United States would not object to Saddam Hussein facing the death penalty in an upcoming trial if it is fairly conducted, a senior State Department official said
- DECEMBER 15, 2003IraqDEATH PENALTY
The president of the US-installed interim Iraqi Governing...
The president of the US-installed interim Iraqi Governing Council (IGC), Abdel Aziz al-Hakim, asked if Saddam could face the death penalty if convicted in an Iraqi court, replied "Yes, absolutely
- DECEMBER 15, 2003IraqDEATH PENALTY
Washington's closest Iraq war ally Britain said it...
Washington's closest Iraq war ally Britain said it would play no part in any trial of Saddam Hussein that might lead to his execution
- DECEMBER 15, 2003IraqDEATH PENALTY
The top UN diplomat said he could not support bringing...
The top UN diplomat said he could not support bringing captured Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein before a tribunal that might sentence him to death
- DECEMBER 15, 2003IraqDEATH PENALTY
If an Iraqi court sentences Saddam Hussein to capital...
If an Iraqi court sentences Saddam Hussein to capital punishment, the execution of the sentence will be postponed until July 2004, i
- DECEMBER 15, 2003IraqDEATH PENALTY
The mood for revenge was growing as ordinary Iraqis...
The mood for revenge was growing as ordinary Iraqis demanded that Saddam Hussein be executed in public for crimes against his people
- DECEMBER 15, 2003IraqDEATH PENALTY
Following the capture of ousted Iraqi president by...
Following the capture of ousted Iraqi president by American troops in his hometown Tikrit announced Sunday, HOC president Marco Pannella MEP calls for Saddam Hussein's recognition as a prisoner of war and spokesperson Emma Bonino MEP says he should be tri
- DECEMBER 10, 2003IraqDEATH PENALTY
Saddam Hussein will be tried in absentia by the Iraqi...
Saddam Hussein will be tried in absentia by the Iraqi war crimes tribunal formally established in Baghdad, and could face the death penalty if found guilty of crimes against humanity, the Iraqi Governing Council said
- DECEMBER 9, 2003IraqDEATH PENALTY
Saddam Hussein's government may have executed 61,000...
Saddam Hussein's government may have executed 61,000 Baghdad residents, a number significantly higher than previously believed, according to a survey obtained by Associated Press
- NOVEMBER 8, 2003IraqDEATH PENALTY
"There are 263 mass graves, including approximately...
"There are 263 mass graves, including approximately 40 of them confirmed to hold evidence of systematic killings," said Sandra Hodgkinson, director of the Office for Human Rights Transitional Justice (OHRTJ) within the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA
- OCTOBER 8, 2003IraqDEATH PENALTY
An Iraqi and his Jordanian accomplice convicted of...
An Iraqi and his Jordanian accomplice convicted of murdering a friend in January 2001 over a loan reimbursement, were executed at dawn at the Swaqa prison south of Amman, Jordan
- SEPTEMBER 24, 2003IraqDEATH PENALTY
The death penalty, suspended after the US-led coalition...
The death penalty, suspended after the US-led coalition ousted Saddam Hussein, could be reintroduced when Iraq regains its sovereignty, Dara Nurredin, a member of the interim Governing Council, said
- AUGUST 9, 2003IraqDEATH PENALTY
Hadi Hama Salih Rahman, a former member of the Iraqi...
Hadi Hama Salih Rahman, a former member of the Iraqi intelligence service and Ba'th Party official, was sentenced to death by the Sulaymaniyah Criminal Court
- JULY 18, 2003IraqDEATH PENALTY
The US military said it had discovered a mass grave...
The US military said it had discovered a mass grave near Mosul, in northern Iraq, containing up to 400 bodies
- JULY 5, 2003IraqDEATH PENALTY
The remains of about 300 people, believed to be Kurdish...
The remains of about 300 people, believed to be Kurdish victims of the deposed regime of Saddam Hussein, were found in a mass grave seen in northern Iraq by an AFP correspondent
- JULY 1, 2003IraqDEATH PENALTY
Three new mass graves were discovered in Iraq containing...
Three new mass graves were discovered in Iraq containing the corpses of more than 3,000 Kurds, the Al-Sabah newspaper reported
- MAY 14, 2003IraqDEATH PENALTY
It was reported that Iraqi villagers discovered a mass...
It was reported that Iraqi villagers discovered a mass grave containing the remains of several thousand people apparently put to death by Saddam Hussein's regime
- MAY 11, 2003IraqDEATH PENALTY
Hundreds of Iraqis marched in central Baghdad to commemorate...
Hundreds of Iraqis marched in central Baghdad to commemorate the deaths of relatives they believe were executed under Saddam Hussein
- APRIL 13, 2003IraqDEATH PENALTY
Salem Hussein Hasan al-Salami, an Iraqi convicted of...
Salem Hussein Hasan al-Salami, an Iraqi convicted of smuggling hashish, was publicly beheaded by sword in the northern Saudi city of Arar
- APRIL 6, 2003IraqDEATH PENALTY
Deserters from the Iraqi army said they were beaten...
Deserters from the Iraqi army said they were beaten by their superiors and one said he saw 10 fellow soldiers executed by a commander, according to a Human Rights Watch report
- APRIL 2, 2003IraqDEATH PENALTY
"In their latest crime against the peoples of Iraq,...
"In their latest crime against the peoples of Iraq, the dictatorial Iraqi regime has shot 96 soldiers
- MARCH 31, 2003IraqDEATH PENALTY
The US State Department issued its 27th annual report...
The US State Department issued its 27th annual report on human rights conditions world-wide
- MARCH 23, 2003IraqDEATH PENALTY
Seven members of Iraq's ruling Ba'th Party were executed...
Seven members of Iraq's ruling Ba'th Party were executed on the order of President Saddam Hussein's cousin and the commander in the south, Ali Hasan al-Majid
- FEBRUARY 28, 2003IraqDEATH PENALTY
Mass executions, prisoner torture, beheadings, amputations...
Mass executions, prisoner torture, beheadings, amputations and disappearances in Iraq make up the chilling content of The death penalty and more under Saddam Hussein, a dossier compiled by Hands Off Cain released in Rome
- FEBRUARY 28, 2003IraqDEATH PENALTY
The dossier says that around 4,000 people were executed...
The dossier says that around 4,000 people were executed in the Abu Ghraib prison in the first reported prison 'cleansing' campaign in 1984
- FEBRUARY 13, 2003IraqDEATH PENALTY
British MP and Minister for Europe Denis MacShane revealed...
British MP and Minister for Europe Denis MacShane revealed that two Iraqi doctors living in the UK fled their homeland after being ordered by Saddam Hussein to help commit atrocities against his own people
- FEBRUARY 11, 2003IraqDEATH PENALTY
February 11
February 11