Al-Nasiriyah prison fire: 27 detainees dead, Muslim Scholars allege government cover-up
27 inmates died in a fire at al-Nasiriyah Central Prison, known as al-Hout, in southern Dhi Qar province, under 'mysterious circumstances,' the Association of Muslim Scholars in Iraq announced on Tuesday, accusing the Iraqi government of secrecy and a media blackout.
The Association of Muslim Scholars is one of Iraq's most prominent Sunni religious institutions. Formed after 2003, it has maintained a critical stance toward the US presence and the post-invasion political process and does not participate in state institutions.
In a statement on X, the group cited 'confirmed and accurate information' indicating that the number of victims may exceed 27, as bodies reportedly remain unclaimed at the forensic medicine department without any official disclosure.
The statement described the incident as 'a new crime of mass extermination,' recalling similar cases in the same facility, including the 2015 deaths of 15 detainees by electrocution and the execution of 100 inmates in 2013 at al-Taji Prison north of Baghdad.
The Association asserted that such incidents 'cannot be dismissed or justified,' claiming that Iraqi prisons—especially al-Nasiriyah—have become centers of systemic abuse and extrajudicial executions carried out in the absence of proper government oversight.
It also criticized the 'lack of media coverage and the silence of official institutions,' accusing both of deliberately concealing the scale of the tragedy. Human rights organizations, it added, have been denied access to detainees or the ability to investigate such incidents.
The Association called on Arab and international human rights to act immediately by launching an impartial international investigation, holding those responsible to account, disclosing the names of the victims, and allowing families to identify and receive the bodies. It also urged 'an end to militia control over the prison system.'
|| بيان رقم (1603) المتعلق بجريمة الإبادة الجماعية البشعة في سجن الناصرية ومقتل ٢٧ معتقلًا حرقًاالحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله محمد بن عبد الله، وعلى آله وصحبه ومن والاه، وبعدففي مشهد يعيد إلى الأذهان أبشع صور الظلم والطغيان، ويؤكد من جديد حجم الكارثة الإنسانية… pic.twitter.com/nscsLmiFg1
— هيئة علماء المسلمين في العراق (@amsiiraq) August 5, 2025
Al-Hout Prison is Iraq's largest detention facility following the closure of Abu Ghraib. It was opened in 2008 and is one of the country's most secure prisons, holding a large number of inmates convicted of terrorism, including members of ISIS.
The prison has seen regular executions of inmates convicted under anti-terrorism laws. The most recent occurred in May 2024, when 11 individuals were executed.
The facility also records recurring inmate deaths, some reportedly due to health conditions and others under unclear circumstances.
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