According to Iraqi Justice Minister Hassan al-Shammari, 1,400 Iraqis sentenced to death are awaiting execution. It's a large number, but the Iraqi government justifies it by pointing to the “magnitude of the violence in Iraq.” Opponents, on the other hand, decry “the haphazard application of the Iraqi Anti-Terrorism Law as well as the confusion, criticisms and doubts pervading the Iraqi judiciary.”

Shammari’s announcement of the number of people awaiting the gallows for being involved in violent acts happened on two occasions: first, in an Amnesty International report that ranked Iraq third in the number executions; second, as part of the intensifying demands by Sunni political and popular circles to suspend the death sentences.

It's noteworthy that among such a large number of convicts, only 50 received their final judgments and are set for execution. The rest seem to be awaiting presidential authorization in accordance with the law, and that will probably take no more than a few months.

Ironically, Amnesty International in its latest report disparaged Iraq for executing 120 convicts in 2012, but that number may see a big jump in 2013. In his recent comments, Shammari seemed keen to implement the death sentences in what was considered an electoral promotion for his party, Al-Fadila, which is allied with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s Islamic Dawa Party. It seems clear that the two parties are using criticisms against the death sentences to showcase the government’s seriousness in implementing the law.