Iraq president “against the death penalty” but executions continue without his sign off

Jalal Talabani has said that he will “not sign any death sentence” because he is against the death penalty.

He is refusing to sign an execution order for Tariq Aziz, the former Iraqi foreign minister and one of Saddam Hussein’s closest confidantes, who was sentenced to death last month. The statement comes after calls from the Vatican and Russia to halt the execution on humanitarian grounds. Tariq Aziz is 74 years old and in poor health.

Mr Talabani has never signed off on a death sentence but this has not stopped the Iraqi authorities from carrying out executions. For instance, in 2006 Mr Talabani refused to sign a warrant ordering the execution of Saddam Hussein. The order was instead ratified by one of Mr Talabani's two deputies and the former Iraqi president was hanged all the same. At the moment, Mr Talabani has no deputies who could order the execution in his place.

Reprieve is assisting Danny Fitzsimons, a British ex-soldier, who is currently facing the death penalty in Iraq. More information is available here.