“So far, 2,250 prisoners have been released under the general amnesty law,” ministry spokesperson Ahmed al-Luaibi told Rudaw.
Since the law entered into implementation, more than 300 prisoners have also been released after completing their sentences, according to Luaibi.
According to ministry data, Iraq’s 30 prisons house some 67,000 inmates, including 1,600 foreigners.
The general amnesty law, which amended the 2016 law’s interpretation of affiliation with terrorist organizations, was pushed by Sunni Arab lawmakers. The amendment was a key prerequisite for Sunni blocs to agree to join the ruling State Administration Coalition, which was formed in September 2022 and backed Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani into office.
Sunni lawmakers argue that thousands from their community have been unjustly imprisoned in Shiite-majority Iraq since 2003 over alleged terrorism links.
The controversial law went into effect in mid-February after being published in the Official Gazette of Iraq, along with two other controversial laws demanded by Shiite and Kurdish lawmakers - the personal status and land restitution laws, respectively.
The Islamic State (ISIS) seized vast swathes of Iraqi territory in 2014. During the liberation battles, thousands were arrested for suspected ISIS links, particularly in Sunni-majority provinces, like Anbar, Nineveh, and Salahaddin provinces.
Nahro Mohammed contributed to this report.
