Iraq Opens Talks With 61 Countries to Repatriate Nearly 6,000 Foreign Inmates
Published
Iraq's Ministry of Justice said on Sunday it had begun legal and diplomatic procedures to transfer about 6,000 foreign detainees and convicts to their home countries, coordinating with diplomatic missions from 61 states on transfer agreements and memorandums of understanding, excluding prisoners serving death sentences. Syrians form the largest group, followed by Moroccan, Tunisian and Turkish nationals, with American, Canadian and Russian citizens also on the list. Most are linked to Islamic State and were moved into Iraqi custody from northeastern Syria earlier this year. Karkh Central Prison in Baghdad was designated as the assembly point, and the ministry cited prison overcrowding as the main driver.
Sources
Difference in reporting
Sources factually disagree on who spoke for the justice ministry and on how many of the inmates are Islamic State cases: Rudaw names spokesman Murad al-Saadi, who gave it the figures directly, while 964media, The New Region and ANF name spokesman Ahmed Luaibi speaking to the state newspaper al-Sabah; Rudaw describes all of the roughly 6,000 as detainees and convicts associated with Islamic State, whereas 964media and The New Region describe them as foreign inmates of 61 nationalities and Iraqi News says the great bulk are linked to the group. The remaining facts are uniform: about 6,000 foreign inmates from 61 countries, prisoners under death sentence excluded, Syrians the largest group ahead of Moroccan, Tunisian, Turkish, American, Canadian and Russian nationals, and Karkh Central Prison in Baghdad set as the assembly point.
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