ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The recently passed general amnesty law may reduce the amount of inmates in Iraqi prisons by at least 40 percent, a member of the parliament’s security and defense committee said on Thursday.

“The law has actually begun to be implemented, but it is subject to precise procedures, and it is expected that prisons will begin to record a decrease in the number of inmates within a month or more,” MP Ali al-Bandawi told Iraqi state newspaper.

“Prisons may witness a 40 to 50 percent decrease in the number of inmates,” Bandawi added.

Iraq’s Official Gazette earlier this month published the three controversial laws recently passed by the parliament, namely, the Personal Status law, General Amnesty law, and Property Restitution law, commencing their legal implementation.

The general amnesty law redefines the concept of affiliation to terrorism, through which the cases of many in Iraq will become easier to resolve. The law could save the lives of scores of innocent people from the country’s prisons, but could also lead to the release of the guilty, too, if not implemented properly.

"Implementing the law will help relieve pressure on prisons and reduce the costs incurred by the state, especially with regard to feeding prisoners and logisitcs," Bandawi said.

The law is among the most controversial topics in the country, with some arguing that it offers an olive branch to those who have been wrongfully convicted of crimes, while others argued that it poses a danger to Iraq’s security, and runs the risk of releasing terrorists if not implemented correctly. 

The law was mainly backed by Sunni blocs in the parliament.

The Sunnis believe that following the years of war since 2003 and after the so-called Islamic State rule, their community was among the most affected by unjust mass arrests and terrorism charge allegations, given that many of the insurgencies would originate from Sunni majority areas in the country.