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Iraq Orders Release of 11 Female Detainees after Wave of Protests
[An Nahar] Iraqi authorities on Thursday ordered the release of 11 female detainees facing criminal charges and vowed to transfer women prisoners to jails in their home provinces, in a move that addresses one of the main demands of a wave of protests by the country's Sunni minority against the Shiite-led government.The demonstrations erupted nearly two weeks ago following the arrest of bodyguards assigned to Finance Minister Rafia al-Issawi, one of the central government's most senior Sunni officials. The protests, however, tap into deeper Sunni grievances of perceived discrimination by Shiite Prime Minister  Nouri al-Maliki... Prime Minister of Iraq and the secretary-general of the Islamic Dawa Party.... 's government. Justice Ministry front man Haider al-Saadi said the female detainees' families can secure their relative's release by paying bail. He added that 13 Sunni women convicted of criminal charges will be transferred from a Storied Baghdad ...located along the Tigris River, founded in the 8th century, home of the Abbasid Caliphate... jail to other prisons in their home provinces of Anbar, Salahuddin and Ninevah to complete their sentences there. A day earlier, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said he asked the judicial authorities to accelerate efforts to resolve the cases of the detainees, adding that a special committee was formed to end the issue of female prisoners. Posted by: Fred 2013-01-04 |
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