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IRAQ: AL-MALIKI REJECTS STAYS OF EXECUTION FOR 1,000 PRISONERS
November 2, 2009: Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ruled out granting clemency to more than 1,000 Iraqi detainees scheduled to be executed before the general elections in January 2010.
“Maliki wants to win over the electorate by showing that he is resolute in liquidating elements belonging to the former regime and the groups the government sees as terrorists,” said an observer.
Among those sentenced to death are eight aides to Saddam Hussein, and another 150 who have exhausted all channels of appeal.
Appeals for clemency have come from both domestic and international human rights groups and officials. But Maliki seems unperturbed.
The elections will be held in January 15, 2010, and Maliki is seeking a second term. (Sources: Azzaman.com, MEMRI, 02/11/2009)
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