UN FAULTS IRAQ FOR CONTINUED EXECUTIONS

September 5, 2007: a new United Nations report on human rights criticises the Iraqi government for its continued executions of prisoners, despite appeals by the UN and its human rights bodies for a moratorium on capital punishment.
The study specifically criticises the recent execution of an Iraqi prisoner, who may have possessed key evidence relating to the 2003 bombing of Baghdad's UN compound.
In a report to the upcoming 62nd session of the General Assembly which begins Sep. 18, U.N. special rapporteur Leandro Despouy says he is "extremely concerned about the execution of Awraz Abdel Aziz Mahmoud Sa'eed," who confessed to participating in the attack against the UN offices. The Iraqi government went ahead with his execution in spite of the fact that the UN had specifically requested the "cancellation" of the execution in order to elicit information on the bombing. (Sources: IPS News, 05/09/2007)