Iraqi President Saddam Hussein ordered the release...

Iraqi President Saddam Hussein ordered the release of some prisoners to mark the 14th anniversary of the end of the Iran-Iraq war.
But the decree issued by the Revolutionary Command Council and signed by Saddam appeared to exclude political prisoners.
There were no figures available for the number of prisoners to be freed.
The decree, carried by the state media, orders the release of prisoners who have served at least one year of a jail sentence of up to five years, two years of a 10-year sentence, or five years of a sentence of more than 10 years.
Prisoners on death row will have their sentences reduced to life imprisonment, unless they were convicted on drugs charges, murder during robbery, or spying charges. The Iraqi authorities call "spies" all those arrested for attacking government targets or belonging to the various banned opposition groups.
Iran accepted a UN ceasefire on August 8, 1988, after an eight-year war with Iraq that claimed up to a million lives. Iraq celebrates the ceasefire as a "great victory day" against Iran.