Baghdad ? Iraqi authorities have executed 17 convicts, most of them condemned under the country?s controversial terrorism law, Justice Minister Hassan al-Shammari said on Monday.
Those executed included an Egyptian citizen and two women, al-Shammari said.
Iraq, which has faced near-daily car bombings and shootings by insurgents since US troops withdrew in 2011, hanged 120 people last year, mainly for terrorism offences.
Human rights groups have criticised Iraq?s judicial processes and its terrorism law, which provides for the death penalty not only for those carrying out acts of terrorism, but also for anyone planning or enabling them.
Repeal of that provision has been one of the key demands of Sunni protesters opposed to the Shiite-dominated government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. (AFP)
