Iraqi security forces escort a man sentenced to death over the mass killing of hundreds of mainly Shia soldiers at a former US base two years ago: A local official criticised the executions saying some of the men had been tortured to extract confessions.
The men were hanged at the Nasiriyah prison in southern Iraq on Sunday, according to provincial governor Yahya al-Nasiri.
A Justice Ministry official confirmed the executions. The soldiers were trying to flee from nearby Camp Speicher, a former US base just outside the city. Shortly after taking Tikrit, Islamic State, which is also known as Isis, posted graphic images of gunmen shooting the men dead after forcing them to lie face down in a shallow ditch.
The Speicher massacre sparked outrage across Iraq and partially stimulated the mobilisation of Shia militias in the fight against Islamic State. Iraqi forces arrested dozens of men allegedly linked to the massacre after retaking Tikrit in with the help of US-led air strikes. The men executed on Sunday were sentenced to death by an Iraqi court earlier this year.
Prime minister Haider al-Abadi has attempted to fast track the implementation of death sentences following a series of large-scale bombings in and around Baghdad in recent months. Iraq ranks among the top five countries in the world in the use of capital punishment, according to figures compiled by the rights group Amnesty International.
