+35,000 prisoners freed under Iraq’s Amnesty Law
Shafaq News – Baghdad
Iraq has released more than 35,000 inmates under the amended General Amnesty Law, according to the Supreme Judicial Council’s latest statistical report for September.
In a statement, the Council confirmed that 35,203 detainees and convicts have benefited from the law since its enforcement began, while 143,924 individuals facing arrest warrants, summons orders, or in-absentia sentences were also covered by its provisions.
Courts, it added, recovered 38.5 billion Iraqi dinars (about $27 million) and $34.3 million in restitution from those included in the measure.
Judicial authorities began implementing the amended Law No. 27 of 2016 on February 6, 2025, following directives to apply Parliament’s latest revision, passed in January.
Read more: Beyond "Innocent People": unpacking Iraq's New Amnesty Law
The legislation excludes those convicted of terrorism, murder, and other serious crimes, but allows thousands serving lighter sentences to walk free — a step officials described as intended to ease prison overcrowding and address political demands for broader clemency.
Read more: Iraqi prisons overcrowded, plagued by diseases, drugs, and torture, report finds
