ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The Iraqi justice ministry on Wednesday said more than 10,000 convicted prisoners serving sentences have been released under the amended General Amnesty Law since it went into effect around nine months ago, noting those convicted in the Camp Speicher massacre are not covered by the law.

"The number of those released under the General Amnesty Law has reached 10,213 from its implementation until November 1," Justice Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Laibi told Iraqi state media on Wednesday.

The figures mentioned by Laibi only concerns prisoners who had been subjected to court sentences and were serving time behind bars. The actual number of all prisoners and detainees released by Iraqi judiciary under the law is over 35,000.

The Iraqi parliament passed the General Amnesty Law in late January. The law was published in the Official Gazette nearly a month later, commencing its legal implementation.

The law was among the main requests of the Sunni component upon the election of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani. 

Human rights watchdogs have long criticized the “inhumane” conditions inside Iraqi prisons, citing severe overcrowding, outdated facilities, and weak public prosecution oversight.

Laibi noted that about 2,780 convicted prisoners were released in accordance with other decrees after completing their sentences.

The spokesperson stressed that “those convicted in the Speicher massacre are not covered by the General Amnesty Law,” noting that they have requested a retrial from the Supreme Judicial Council, but are “still awaiting reinvestigation.”

One June 12, 2014, the Islamic State (ISIS) committed one of its most heinous crimes in Iraq, executing around 1,700 Shiite military cadets undergoing training at the camp in Tikrit, after initially promising them safe passage.

Hundreds suspected of participating in the horrific massacre have been arrested, and dozens have already been executed.

The number of those covered by the amnesty law has reached around 145,000, according to the latest numbers from the judiciary.

The 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.