Iraq has executed 257 since 2005: minister
Busho Ibrahim
Iraq has executed 257 people  including six women  since 2005  deputy justice minister Busho Ibrahim told AFP on Thursday  amid calls from the United Nations for Iraq to abolish capital punishment.
 Ibrahim also said the country was embarking on a major prison rebuilding and renovation programme that would see all of its 33 jails upgraded to what he said would be international standards by 2015.
 "Executions began in August 2005  and 37 people are presently ready to be executed  following approval from the presidency council " Ibrahim said.
 He said 251 men and six women had been executed since Iraq lifted the moratorium on the death penalty it adopted after the 2003 US-led invasion that overthrew Saddam Hussein.
 Ibrahim gave no explanation for the fall but Iraq has been without a government for much of this year and under the constitution all executions have to approved by a member of the three-man presidency.
 Ibrahim said the death penalty can be applied in crimes that fall under five categories: murder  terrorism  kidnapping  drug trafficking and crimes against humanity. Those executed are usually hanged.
 He did not immediately have figures on the total number of prisoners who have been sentenced to death  but Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani said on Monday that Iraq has 835 people on death row.
 Ibrahim also said that Iraq was embarking on a massive prison revamping programme  due to be completed in 2015.
 "There are some plans to build new prisons because most of our current prisons are very old " he said. "Only the prisons that were built by the Americans are of good quality. All of the Saddam-era prisons  except for Badoush in Mosul (northern Iraq)  need to be rebuilt  renovated or modernised.
 "By 2014 or 2015  all prisons in Iraq should be fully updated or rebuilt " Ibrahim said  putting the current capacity of the 33 prisons operated by the justice ministry  two of which are not being used  at 28 530.
 Ibrahim said that as of December 9  a total of 24 783 people were being held in justice ministry prisons  including both convicts and remand prisoners.
 Ibrahim said Iraq was holding some foreign prisoners but did not specify how many. He said most of the foreigners were Arabs or of Arab origin.
 Overall  he put prison operating costs at between 180 and 190 dollars per prisoner per month -- 150 dollars a month for food  with the remainder being spent on clothing  healthcare and other basic services.
Iraq has executed 257 people  including six women  since 2005  [TGT] told AFP on Thursday  amid calls from the United Nations for Iraq to abolish capital punishment.
 [TGT] also said the country was embarking on a major prison rebuilding and renovation programme that would see all of its 33 jails upgraded to what [TGT] said would be international standards by 2015.
 "Executions began in August 2005  and 37 people are presently ready to be executed  following approval from the presidency council [TGT] said.
 [TGT] said 251 men and six women had been executed since Iraq lifted the moratorium on the death penalty it adopted after the 2003 US-led invasion that overthrew Saddam Hussein.
 [TGT] gave no explanation for the fall but Iraq has been without a government for much of this year and under the constitution all executions have to approved by a member of the three-man presidency.
 [TGT] said the death penalty can be applied in crimes that fall under five categories: murder  terrorism  kidnapping  drug trafficking and crimes against humanity. Those executed are usually hanged.
 [TGT] did not immediately have figures on the total number of prisoners who have been sentenced to death  but Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani said on Monday that Iraq has 835 people on death row.
 [TGT] also said that Iraq was embarking on a massive prison revamping programme  due to be completed in 2015.
 "There are some plans to build new prisons because most of our current prisons are very old " [TGT] said. "Only the prisons that were built by the Americans are of good quality. All of the Saddam-era prisons  except for Badoush in Mosul (northern Iraq)  need to be rebuilt  renovated or modernised.
 "By 2014 or 2015  all prisons in Iraq should be fully updated or rebuilt [TGT] said  putting the current capacity of the 33 prisons operated by the justice ministry  two of which are not being used  at 28 530.
 [TGT] said that as of December 9  a total of 24 783 people were being held in justice ministry prisons  including both convicts and remand prisoners.
 [TGT] said Iraq was holding some foreign prisoners but did not specify how many. [TGT] said most of the foreigners were Arabs or of Arab origin.
 Overall  [TGT] put prison operating costs at between 180 and 190 dollars per prisoner per month -- 150 dollars a month for food  with the remainder being spent on clothing  healthcare and other basic services.