Iraq holds more than 19,000 on Islamic State, militant links

By Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Susannah George Associated Press

Wednesday, March 21, 2018 12:25 AM

BAGHDAD (AP) An analysis by The Associated Press has found that Iraq has detained or imprisoned at least 19,000 people accused of connections to the Islamic State group or other terror-related offenses, and sentenced more than 3,000 of them to death.

The mass incarceration and speed of guilty verdicts raise concerns over potential miscarriages of justice and worries that jailed militants are recruiting within the general prison population to build new extremist networks.

The AP count is based partially on an analysis of a spreadsheet listing all 27,849 people imprisoned in Iraq as of late January, provided by an official. Thousands more are believed to be held by other bodies, including the Federal Police, military intelligence and Kurdish forces.

Iraq holds more than 19,000 on Islamic State, militant links

FILE - In this Oct. 3, 2017 file photo, displaced men from Hawija stand facing a wall in order not to see security officers, who will try to determine if they were associated with the Islamic State group, at a Kurdish screening center in Dibis, Iraq. An analysis by the Associated Press of a spreadsheet listing all 27,849 people imprisoned in Iraq as of late January 2018, shows that Iraq has detained or imprisoned more than 19,000 people accused of connections to IS or other terror-related offenses. More than 3,000 people have been sentenced to death. (AP Photo/Bram Janssen, File)

The Associated Press

FILE - In this Oct. 3, 2017 file photo, a Kurdish security officer orders a displaced man from Hawija to sit down as they try to determine if the men being held were associated with the Islamic State group, at a Kurdish screening center in Dibis, Iraq. An analysis by the Associated Press of a spreadsheet listing all 27,849 people imprisoned in Iraq as of late January 2018, shows that Iraq has detained or imprisoned more than 19,000 people accused of connections to IS or other terror-related offenses. More than 3,000 people have been sentenced to death. (AP Photo/Bram Janssen, File)

The Associated Press

FILE - In this Oct. 3, 2017 file photo, a blindfolded suspected Islamic State militant stands against a wall at a Kurdish screening center in Dibis, Iraq. An analysis by the Associated Press of a spreadsheet listing all 27,849 people imprisoned in Iraq as of late January 2018, shows that Iraq has detained or imprisoned more than 19,000 people accused of connections to IS or other terror-related offenses. More than 3,000 people have been sentenced to death. (AP Photo/Bram Janssen, File)

The Associated Press

FILE - In this Oct. 3, 2017 file photo, displaced men from Hawija sit facing a wall in order not to see security officers, who will try to determine if they were associated with the Islamic State group, at a Kurdish screening center in Dibis, Iraq. An analysis by the Associated Press of a spreadsheet listing all 27,849 people imprisoned in Iraq as of late January 2018, shows that Iraq has detained or imprisoned more than 19,000 people accused of connections to IS or other terror-related offenses. More than 3,000 people have been sentenced to death. (AP Photo/Bram Janssen, File)

The Associated Press