Written question asked by Michael Connarty (Labour) on Tuesday, 2 November 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 4 November 2010. It was answered by Alistair Burt (Conservative) on Tuesday, 9 November 2010 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Iraq: Prisoners

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the letter from the Minister of State of 30 September 2010, ref. 88511, what response embassy officials received from the Iraqi Chief of Prisons Monitoring Department on prison conditions for (a) Dr Mahdi Saleh, (b) Mr Haman Yousif Hamadi and (c) Dr Amwer Rashid after they had made representations in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: Our embassy has made no representations to Iraqi Chief of Prisons Monitoring Department with regard to these individuals, who are Iraqi citizens standing trial in accordance with Iraqi Law at the Iraqi High Tribunal, nor was any undertaking made to make such representations in the letter of 30 September.We regularly discuss the justice system, and prison conditions, with senior members of the Iraqi Government. In August 2010 our ambassador in Baghdad met with the Iraqi Human Rights Minister and raised concerns over prison conditions. On 7 September our embassy officials in Baghdad met with the Chief of Prisons Monitoring Department during a Human Rights working group with EU embassies and also discussed conditions of prisons and treatment of detainees. We will continue to look for opportunities to remind the Iraqi authorities that any prisoners detained without charge should be dealt with by due process and, should be treated in line with internationally accepted standards regarding fair trials and prisoners' rights.

Secondary information