UN 'appalled' at mass hangings in Iraq, concerned more may follow
The top UN human rights official said on Wednesday he was "appalled" that Iraq had hanged 42 men on Sunday, almost certainly without a fair trial, and that he feared more would follow.
The executed prisoners had been convicted of terrorism charges ranging from killing members of the security forces to detonating car bombs.
"I am appalled to learn of the execution of 42 prisoners in a single day," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said in a statement.
"We are extremely concerned at reports that Iraq may be planning to expedite the process of executing prisoners already sentenced to death, and that this could result in more large-scale executions in the coming weeks."
Zeid said it was "extremely doubtful" that strict due process and fair trial guarantees, including the men's rights to effective legal assistance and a full appeals process as well as to seek pardon or commutation of their sentence, had been met in every one of the 42 individual cases.
