ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraq's justice ministry said on Saturday that it released 640 inmates from prisons in Baghdad and several other provinces in June, including 221 prisoners covered by the country's amended General Amnesty Law.

According to the ministry, “419 inmates were freed pursuant to various judicial orders, while 221 inmates were covered by the General Amnesty Law.”

Iraq's parliament passed the amended General Amnesty Law in January 2025, one of the main demands of the country's Sunni political bloc during negotiations to form the previous government.

The law redefines the concept of affiliation with terrorism, particularly affecting thousands of Sunnis arrested during the battle against the Islamic State (ISIS), after the jihadist group seized large parts of Iraq in 2014.

The justice ministry said in November that more than 10,000 convicted inmates had been released under the law, while a total of 35,000 prisoners and detainees had been released.

Human rights watchdogs have long criticized the “inhumane” conditions inside Iraqi prisons, citing severe overcrowding, outdated facilities, and weak public prosecution oversight.

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.