U.N. appalled at mass hangings in Iraq, concerned more may follow

GENEVA - 27 September 2017: The top U.N. human rights official said on Wednesday he was appalled that Iraq had hanged 42 prisoners on Sunday, almost certainly without a fair trial, and that he feared more would follow.

“I am appalled to learn of the execution of 42 prisoners in a single day,” U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said in a statement.

“We are extremely concerned at reports that Iraq may be planning to expedite the process of executing prisoners already sentenced to death, and that this could result in more large-scale executions in the coming weeks.”