IN IRAQ, 128 FACE EXECUTION IN BATCHES OF 20, REPORTS AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

Amnesty International called for the immediate intervention of Iraq's Justice Minister to stop the execution of 128 prisoners on death row, amid reports that the authorities are planning to start executing in batches of up to 20 starting next week.
On March 9, 2009, the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council informed Amnesty International that Iraq's Presidential Council ratified the death sentences of 128 people whose sentences were already confirmed by the Cassation Court.
The Iraqi authorities have not disclosed the identities of those facing imminent execution, stoking fears that many of them may have been sentenced to death after trials that failed to satisfy international standards for fair trial. Most are likely to have been sentenced to death by the Central Criminal Court of Iraq (CCCI), whose proceedings consistently fall short of international standards for fair trial.