Amnesty International draws attention to Iraqi death penalty sentencing

vor 11 Jahren

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vor 11 Jahren

Osama Jamal ‘Abdallah Mahdi has been on death row for over two years in Iraq, accused of murdering an Iraqi soldier. The 33-year-old father of two claims he signed a confession because Iraqi officers tortured him and threatened his family. He feels his conviction also is based on ethnic oppression. Mahdi’s execution by hanging is imminent. We’ll speak with Musadik Mahdi, Jamal Mahdi’s Iraqi-American uncle, who’s been advocating for his nephew’s release. We’ll also speak with Beth Ann Toupin, Amnesty International USA's country specialist for Iraq and Bahrain. She maintains that Iraq’s criminal system is rife with “arbitrary arrest, torture, ill-treatment in detention, forced confessions, and egregiously unfair trials and appeals processes.”

(Photo: Courtesy of Amnesty International)