Iraqi Parliament forms committee to follow up affairs of Iraqi prisoners in Saudi Arabia.

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com – The Iraqi Parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee has formed a branch committee to follow up the dossier of the Iraqi prisoners in Saudi Arabia , according to a Committee statement on Sunday.   “Having studied the detailed report by the Iraqi Ambassador to Riyadh, Ghanim al-Jumeily, citing the names of Iraqi prisoners in the Saudi Rafhaa, Araar, Sharqiya and Hafr al-Batin prisons, the Foreign Relations Committee in the Iraqi Parliament has formed today (Sunday) a branch committee, led by Legislature, Asma’a al-Moussawi, to follow up the dossier of the Iraqi prisoners there,” the statement noted. It pointed out that the “majority of the charges had been related to drug-smuggling, for which the sentences had ranged between punishment or imprisonment,” adding that “some prisoners had completed their sentences periods, but were not released, under claims of existence of financial charges or debts.”   The Iraqi Parliament had voted with majority on January 13 th last, on the formation of a committee for uncovering facts about the conditions of the Iraqi prisoners on Saudi prisons.   The Committee’s session, meanwhile, had witnessed a discussion regarding the conditions of the Iraqi prisoners in Saudi Arabia, with Iraq’s Foreign Minister, Hoshiar Zibary, confirming that no Iraqi prisoner had been executed, quoting a statement by the Iraqi Ambassador to Riyadh, Ghanim al-Jumeily, a number of Parliament members quoted the existence of documents, proving the execution of Iraqis in Saudi Arabia.   On the other hand, the statement also said that the Committee had “formed an Iraqi-Italian Friendship Committee, led by the Iraqi Legislature, Imad Youkhanna, for cooperation with its Italian counterpart, scheduled to visit Iraq within a parliamentary delegation, led by the Speaker of the Italian Parliament.”   FT / SKH   261