French diplomat pays a secret visit to al-Hout prison

Shafaq News/ The chargé d'affaires of the French embassy in Iraq, Eric Chevallier, has paid an unannounced visit to the Nasiriyah Central Prison (al-Hout/The Whale) to keep tabs on the conditions of the French nationals incarcerated there, a source revealed on Monday.

The source said that a French Inmate had fallen ill in the prison, and the diplomat's visit came to check on him.

Iraq holds tens of thousands of prisoners either convicted or accused of involvement in ISIS. It has been repeatedly criticized for extreme overcrowding and poor conditions in many of its detention facilities.