Iraq Executes Four Senior Al Qaeda Leaders
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iStockphoto/Thinkstock(BAGHDAD) — The Iraqi government maintained its reputation as one of the world’s leading executioners on Monday by putting to death four senior al Qaeda leaders.
The men, including Manaf Abdul-Raheem Abdul-Hameed al-Rawi, the alleged leader of the Islamic State of Iraq in Baghdad, were convicted of terrorism. All four were sent to the gallows.
According to Amnesty International’s annual report, Iraq is among the top execution states, having put to death at least 447 people since the practice was resumed in 2005.
The international rights group stated that in 2012 alone, Iraq hanged 129 prisoners.
Monday’s executions came 24 hours after a suicide bomber drove an oil tanker into a police station in the northern city of Tikrit, killing nine officers.
Tikrit was the home of the late dictator Saddam Hussein, who was also executed by hanging.
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