Man killed in Wasit’s Al-Suwaira days after release under amnesty law

WASIT — A man in his 40s who had recently been freed under Iraq’s General Amnesty Law was shot dead Monday in Al-Suwaira, north of Wasit, security officials said.

The victim, a truck driver, came under heavy gunfire around 6 p.m. on Hikmat Street in the Hay Askari neighborhood. Attackers in a yellow taxi opened fire before fleeing the scene, a security source told 964media. The man died instantly from multiple wounds and was taken to Al-Suwaira General Hospital.

According to the source, the victim had been convicted of armed robbery and murder but was released only days earlier under the amnesty law. Police have begun questioning relatives of his previous victims, though authorities said the motive remains unclear.

Investigators are still working to track the suspects and their vehicle. “The case remains unclear, and details will be revealed once the investigation is complete,” the source said.

Iraq’s General Amnesty Law, first passed in 2016 and amended in 2025, excludes terrorism, violent crimes, and drug offenses but allows retrials in cases involving coerced confessions or secret informants. The amendment has been controversial, with Sunni blocs backing it as a safeguard against wrongful convictions and Shia parties warning it risks releasing dangerous offenders.

The Supreme Judicial Council said in August that more than 31,000 people had been released under the amended law this year, while the total number covered — including those with arrest warrants, on bail, or convicted in absentia — has reached nearly 129,000.