
Iraq frees +3,400 prisoners under new Amnesty Law
The Director General of the Ministry of Justice's Correctional Department, Majid Al-Manzour, noted in a statement that the releases are part of the ministry's ongoing legal procedures to enforce the law's provisions in coordination with the relevant judicial authorities.
'Internal teams are working to expedite the review of inmate files to ensure those eligible for amnesty are released in accordance with legal conditions,' he stated, stressing the ministry's commitment to implementing the law with a sense of responsibility and fairness.
On May 13, Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council announced the release of more than 19,000 prisoners under the law and confirmed the recovery of significant state funds.
Earlier, Fadel Al-Gharawi, Head of the Strategic Center for Human Rights in Iraq, told Shafaq News that some released individuals may reoffend or struggle to reintegrate into society if not provided with adequate support before release.
Those concerns were reinforced by recent security reports. The police command in Najaf province announced on Monday the arrest of three individuals—recently released under the Amnesty Law—who confessed to involvement in a series of thefts.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Rudaw Net
15 minutes ago
- Rudaw Net
Kurdistan Region's forests nearly halved by fires over 60 years: Official
Also in Kurdistan KRG halts flights to Saudi Arabia as Umrah pilgrims remain stranded Erbil court hands Duhok journalist new prison sentence Plastic waste accounts for over a quarter of the Kurdistan Region's trash, experts warn Halabja declares two days of mourning after wildfires claim two lives A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Nearly half of the Kurdistan Region's forests have been lost over the past several decades, an environment official said Wednesday, as civil defense teams struggle to contain recent blazes that have destroyed thousands of dunams of woodland. 'We have lost nearly 50 percent of our forests in the last 50 to 60 years,' Sanan Abdullah, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Region's Board of Environmental Protection and Improvement, told Rudaw. He attributed the loss to 'political, military, and social reasons,' as well as rising temperatures as climate change takes its toll on the region. In June 2024, Turkey intensified its decades-long war against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), particularly in northern Duhok province. The conflict sparked numerous fires that burned swathes of land and endangered the lives of villagers. However, amid the ongoing peace process, military attacks in the area have decreased by 97 percent, according to US-based Human Rights Watch and local conflict monitors, resulting in significantly fewer fires compared to last summer. Leftover landmines from the Turkey-PKK conflict and earlier battles between the Kurdish Peshmerga forces and the former Iraqi regime have also contributed to the fires. According to Abdullah, the Region had nearly 5 million dunams of forest land in the 1950s. From 2009 to 2022 alone, nearly 1 million dunams were lost. 'This accounts for the loss of a historical sum of our forests,' he said. A dunam equals 2,500 square meters. 'The [fires] have a significant long-term effect on the area. The growth of a forest takes many years of work… But fires cause them a lot of damage, and require [around] 50 years until a forest is revitalized,' Abdullah explained. He urged the use of modern technologies to help mitigate wildfires. 'We must protect the forests,' he said. On Tuesday, Halabja declared two days of mourning for two people - a civilian and a member of the Kurdistan Region's forestry police - who died while trying to extinguish a wildfire that has burned for a third consecutive day in the province. The blaze destroyed large parts of dense, mountainous forest in hard-to-reach areas. An official from Halabja on Tuesday told Rudaw that uncleared mines have made it more difficult to contain the fire. Wildfires in Sulaimani province in late June scorched hundreds of dunams of land, destroyed centuries-old trees, and caused widespread environmental damage. Officials and residents warned at the time that limited resources and difficult terrain were hampering firefighting efforts. Wildfires are a recurring problem in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, particularly during the summer months when extreme heat significantly increases the risk.


Shafaq News
34 minutes ago
- Shafaq News
Leader Barzani with US Envoy: Kurdistan oil exports resumption on table
Shafaq News – Erbil Kurdish Leader Masoud Barzani met on Wednesday with Stephen Fagan, acting US Ambassador to Iraq, to discuss the resumption of Kurdistan Region's oil exports and support for US companies operating in the Region. According to a statement from Barzani's media office, the meeting also covered preparations for Iraq's upcoming parliamentary elections, broader ties with Washington, progress in reforming the Peshmerga Ministry, and efforts to form a new Kurdish government. Regional developments, including the situation in Syria, were also discussed. On relations with Baghdad, the statement pointed to the unresolved issue of Kurdistan's salaries and financial entitlements, stressing that 'citizens' wages should not be caught up in political disputes.'


Shafaq News
34 minutes ago
- Shafaq News
Who was Salah al-Jubouri, the ISIS financier killed in Syria
Shafaq News – Idlib Salah Nouman Abd Nayef al-Jubouri, a senior ISIS figure responsible for the group's finances and logistics across Iraq and Syria, was killed in a joint operation in northwestern Syria. Considered the fifth most important ISIS leader in Syria, al-Jubouri was known by several aliases, including 'Muhanad,' 'Abu Walid,' and 'Abu Saleh.' He had served as treasurer for ISIS's Iraq office and acted as a liaison with its Syria branch. A security source told Shafaq News that Al-Jubouri managed the movement of recruits from Iraq into Syria, Lebanon, and Turkiye. He also oversaw the group's financial schemes and the purchase of equipment such as Maverick drone parts and night-vision devices for smaller ISIS cells. Beyond financial operations, he coordinated plans to attack religious sites and specific individuals in cooperation with ISIS's Syrian branch. His role placed him among the organization's most wanted operatives, with an Iraqi investigative judge issuing an arrest warrant against him. His career ended at dawn on Wednesday when a joint force supported by Iraqi intelligence, the US-led Global Coalition, and Syrian security units launched a raid in the town of Atmeh, north of Idlib. During the assault, al-Jubouri attempted to flee through a balcony into a garden but was killed. Joint forces later searched the house, confiscated electronic devices, and withdrew without casualties or arrests. His body was transferred to Bab al-Hawa hospital.