Written question asked by Michael Connarty (Labour) on Tuesday, 20 March 2012, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 22 March 2012. It was answered by Alistair Burt (Conservative) on Tuesday, 27 March 2012 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Iraq

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received from the government of Iraq on the number of (a) executions carried out and (b) offences for which the death penalty may be imposed in Iraq.

Answer: We continue to raise our opposition to the death penalty with the Iraqi Government at the highest levels. The recent increase in the number of executions in Iraq is deeply worrying. Reports indicate that so far in 2012, 65 executions have been carried out in Iraq. This brings the total number of executions in Iraq since November to 94. This is a worrying trend, and our ambassador in Baghdad raised our concern with the Vice President of Iraq on 30 January and with the Chief Justice on 8 February. We continue to discuss with EU partners and the Government of Iraq ways we can support Iraq's commitment to reducing the number of crimes that carry the death penalty, as laid out in their National Action Plan on Human Rights.

Secondary information