Iraq executes 19 prisoners over terrorist acts

Iraq's Minister of Justice Hassan al-Shimmary Tuesday said the country has executed 19 convicted prisoners during the month over terror charges.

The minister told reporters at a press conference that the executions were carried out Nov 7-17, Xinhua reported.

Among the executed, some convicts were found guilty in deadly attacks against civilians and Iraqi security forces, including twin bomb attacks on police headquarters in the province of Karbala, the minister said.

The increasing number of executions in Iraq has sparked calls to stop use of the capital punishment. The UN mission in Iraq, the European Union and some international human rights groups have criticised the lack of transparency in the proceedings of the Iraqi courts.

Death penalty in Iraq was suspended for over a year June 10, 2003.

However, the Iraqi government reinstated it Aug 8, 2004, saying it would curb the widespread violence in the country.