Judiciary says more than 38,000 people freed under amended amnesty law

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council on Tuesday said more than 38,000 people have been released under the amended General Amnesty Law, while authorities have processed over 155,000 other cases linked to the legislation since its introduction.

In a statement, the council said “the total number of those released from prisons and detention centers under this law reached 38,787,” adding that the number of individuals covered by arrest warrants, summons orders, bail procedures and in-absentia convictions reached “155,553.”

The General Amnesty Law, first passed in 2016 and amended earlier this year, was designed to address wrongful convictions and arbitrary detention. It excludes those convicted of terrorism offenses, violent crimes and drug-related crimes.

The 2025 amendment narrowed the definition of terrorist affiliation and opened the door to retrials in cases where confessions were obtained under duress or based on information from secret informants, changes lawmakers said were aimed at strengthening due process protections.

The law has drawn mixed political reactions. Sunni blocs have largely backed the amendments, describing them as a step toward correcting what they argue has been judicial bias against their communities and resolving long-standing cases of detainees held on weak or politicized evidence.

Shia parties and some security officials have warned that the law must be applied cautiously to avoid releasing people involved in serious crimes, stressing the need for strict judicial review in each case.