by Yesim Usluca
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East
BAGHDAD, Iraq — In June 2014, Islamic State (ISIS) forces took over Camp Speicher, located just north of Tikrit. Upon assuming control, ISIS militants executed approximately 1,700 Shia army recruits who had fled the Camp. The families of those lost have been demanding justice since these killings.
In July 2015, the Iraqi government held a group trial for the individuals accused of taking part in the executions. The defendants alleged that they were tortured into confessing their role in the killings, and that these confessions were the basis upon which the cases against them were built. The militants were ultimately convicted and sentenced to death at the close of the proceedings. Despite the higher court’s overturning of the verdict, the lower court still convicted several men in a group hearing that lasted only one day. The defendants were denied a second appeal, and several death sentences were issued.
On August 17, 2016, Iraq’s President approved the execution of 36 individuals who were convicted of taking part in the Speicher massacre. These soldiers were hanged on Sunday, August 21 by the Iraqi government.
Several international organizations, such as the United Nations and Amnesty International, have issued statements raising concerns about the hearings and subsequent executions.
The United Nations issued a report in April 2016 stating it found the hearings to lack “international fair trial standards.” The report further noted that the defendants were not provided effective means for a defense at trial and that the Iraqi government failed to fully investigate the allegations of coerced confessions. Amnesty International’s senior crisis response advisor stated that the execution of the 36 militants resulted from an erroneous judicial process that did not meet the standards of international law.
Amnesty International reported that the Iraqi government had received threats of retaliation from militia leaders if the executions were not carried out. Subsequently, in August 2016, the United Nations expressed concern over Iraq’s efforts to speed up militant executions, which could potentially lead to the death of innocent individuals.
Iraq’s Justice Minister dismissed all of these concerns on the grounds that each case “was reviewed in detail” before being delivered to the President for approval of the death sentence.
For more information, please see:
Reuters — Iraq hangs 36 people sentenced to death for killing of troops in 2014 — 22 August 2016
Human Rights Watch — Executions in Iraq Not Real Justice for Speicher Massacre — 23 August 2016
Al Arabiya English — Rights groups condemn executions over Iraq massacre — 24 August 2016
