IRAQ: 12 PEOPLE EXECUTED

May 3, 2009: 12 people were hanged in Iraq. There had been no executions in the previous 18 months. On May 6, 2009 the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) issued a statement expressing concern at the execution of the 12 people on 3 May and urging the Iraqi authorities to implement a moratorium on executions. The OHCHR believes that another 115 prisoners may face execution in the near future. (Sources: BBC, 06/05/2009)