Iraqi Ministry of Justice plans international agreements for prisoner exchanges

BAGHDAD – The Iraqi Ministry of Justice is preparing to sign international agreements for the exchange of convicted prisoners. The initiative includes transferring foreign inmates to their home countries, alleviating overcrowding, and addressing the issue of children accompanying incarcerated women.

Murad Al-Saadi, director of the ministry’s media department, told the state newspaper Al-Sabah, “The ministry is working to strengthen international judicial cooperation through agreements that enable the transfer of foreign prisoners to their home countries to serve their sentences.” He noted that a prisoner exchange agreement with Azerbaijan is nearing completion, as several Azerbaijani nationals are currently imprisoned in Iraq.

Iraq has detained thousands of individuals linked to ISIS, including foreign nationals and their families, captured during and after the group’s territorial control in Iraq and Syria. While the exact number of foreign inmates is undisclosed, estimates suggest a significant portion of the detainees in Iraqi prisons are foreigners.

“These agreements aim to reduce overcrowding in Iraqi prisons and provide a better environment for inmates by allowing them to serve their sentences closer to their families,” Al-Saadi added. He also highlighted the pressing issue of children accompanying foreign female prisoners, calling it a significant humanitarian challenge requiring international legal solutions. “There are dozens of children of foreign nationalities in Iraq’s correctional facilities, and the ministry is addressing this issue by enhancing international cooperation,” he said.

Iraq has already established several bilateral agreements to facilitate the transfer and exchange of prisoners with other nations. For example, in 2015, Iraq and the United Kingdom signed an Agreement on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons, which came into force in April 2017. Additionally, Iraq signed agreements with neighboring countries like Iran in 2023, focusing on judicial cooperation and prisoner exchanges.

These initiatives align with the Ministry of Justice’s broader effort to tackle prison overcrowding, a critical issue in Iraq. On Oct. 7, 2024, the ministry announced plans to reduce extreme overcapacity in detention facilities, aiming to lower occupancy rates from an alarming 300% to 200% by the end of the year.

“The overcrowding in our prisons is one of the ministry’s most critical challenges,” Al-Saadi explained. “We have mobilized all necessary resources and developed plans to alleviate this issue, targeting a significant reduction in occupancy levels.”