Friday, March 02, 2007
Justice Ministry official - Interior Ministry no longer runs prisons
Security
(Azzaman)
There are more than 9,000 detainees in prisons administered by the Iraqi government, according to a senior Justice Ministry official. Bosho Ibrahim, the ministry’s undersecretary, said all the prisoners were detained in the light of arrest warrants issued by Iraqi courts. “There are 9,169 prisoners in jails run by the ministry. Of these, 6,175 have been sentenced for committing different crimes.“We do not detain anyone without an arrest warrant or following a court sentence,” Ibrahim said.
He said the prisons which were previously administered by the Interior Ministry have been turned over to the Justice Ministry. The Interior Ministry had its own prisons where some of the worst reported human rights violations in Iraq took place. But a source, refusing to be named, said the Interior Ministry no longer had prisons of its own.
“The task of the organs of the Interior Ministry is confined to the implementation of court orders and transferring convicted persons to the prisons related to the Justice Ministry,” the source said. Ibrahim of the Justice Ministry said U.S. forces notify the ministry at the end of every month of the number of Iraqis languishing in their jails.
U.S. forces administer their own jails and the Iraqi government has no authority over the prisoners held in them. “The prisons under U.S. Jurisdiction are run by the Americans themselves,” Ibrahim said. Ibrahim declined to say how many Iraqi prisoners were held by the U.S. However, sources said the U.S. was holding without trial more than 13,000 Iraqi prisoners. The Justice Ministry runs 19 prisons in Iraq.
There are more than 9,000 detainees in prisons administered by the Iraqi government, according to a senior Justice Ministry official. Bosho Ibrahim, the ministry’s undersecretary, said all the prisoners were detained in the light of arrest warrants issued by Iraqi courts. “There are 9,169 prisoners in jails run by the ministry. Of these, 6,175 have been sentenced for committing different crimes.“We do not detain anyone without an arrest warrant or following a court sentence,” Ibrahim said.
He said the prisons which were previously administered by the Interior Ministry have been turned over to the Justice Ministry. The Interior Ministry had its own prisons where some of the worst reported human rights violations in Iraq took place. But a source, refusing to be named, said the Interior Ministry no longer had prisons of its own.
“The task of the organs of the Interior Ministry is confined to the implementation of court orders and transferring convicted persons to the prisons related to the Justice Ministry,” the source said. Ibrahim of the Justice Ministry said U.S. forces notify the ministry at the end of every month of the number of Iraqis languishing in their jails.
U.S. forces administer their own jails and the Iraqi government has no authority over the prisoners held in them. “The prisons under U.S. Jurisdiction are run by the Americans themselves,” Ibrahim said. Ibrahim declined to say how many Iraqi prisoners were held by the U.S. However, sources said the U.S. was holding without trial more than 13,000 Iraqi prisoners. The Justice Ministry runs 19 prisons in Iraq.
Labels: Bosho Ibrahim, Justice Ministry, Ministry of Interior, prisons
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Four detention centres handed over to Justice Ministry
Security
(Voices of Iraq) A Human Rights Ministry senior official said on Monday the responsibility for running four detention centers were handed over to the Iraqi Justice Ministry. "The Justice Ministry started to run four Iraqi detention centers that were previously run by the ministries of Defense and Interior," a senior official, who asked not to be named, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
The official who did not say when the transfer of responsibility occurred expressed "the preparedness of the Justice Ministry to run all the prisons and detention centers now under Interior and Defense ministries responsibility." He said "the transfer that occurred was intended to avoid any human rights abuses against the inmates and to accelerate referring the detainees to courts of law to look into the charges directed against them."
Last week, the Iraqi Human Rights minister Wijdan Michael called upon the Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to place the responsibility of running all detention centers under the Justice Ministry to prevent human rights abuses. In Iraq, there are still detention centers and prisons that run by U.S. forces apart from those run by the Iraqi authorities.
The official who did not say when the transfer of responsibility occurred expressed "the preparedness of the Justice Ministry to run all the prisons and detention centers now under Interior and Defense ministries responsibility." He said "the transfer that occurred was intended to avoid any human rights abuses against the inmates and to accelerate referring the detainees to courts of law to look into the charges directed against them."
Last week, the Iraqi Human Rights minister Wijdan Michael called upon the Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to place the responsibility of running all detention centers under the Justice Ministry to prevent human rights abuses. In Iraq, there are still detention centers and prisons that run by U.S. forces apart from those run by the Iraqi authorities.
Labels: detention centres, Justice Ministry
