Iraq urged to lift death penalty

Moroccan Foreign Affairs Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani urged Iraq to stop sentencing Moroccan nationals to death. El Othmani met the Iraqi ambassador in Rabat, to whom he gave a 'strongly worded' message according to Iraqi media. According to an Iraqi news agency, diplomatic sources have revealed that the Foreign Office minister urged the Iraqi government to allow the Moroccan embassy in Baghad to visit the detainees and check their health condition. He also asked for the detainees to be returned to Morocco to allow them to spend their sentence in Moroccan prisons. According to official statistics, there are twelve Moroccans detainees in Iraq, one of whom was sentenced to death - the implementation is suspended according to the Iraqi authorities. Another detainee was sentenced to death but his sentence was reduced to life imprisonment. Four others got sent to jail with sentences varying from five to 20 years. and four other detainees were sentenced to prison and their penalties ranged between 5 and 20 years. In addition to seven detainees including Belgian of Moroccan origin who were detained the sanctions issued against them were not clarified. Legal sources also revealed that some Moroccan nationals went missing in Iraq.