Jordan hangs 11 inmates in first executions since 2006

USPA News - Eleven inmates previously convicted of murder have been hanged in southern Jordan, marking the kingdom`s first executions in nearly eight years, state-run media reported on Sunday. Human rights groups have previously expressed concern over unfair trials.

The official Petra news agency said the inmates were put to death at a correctional facility in the country`s south, but provided few other details. Interior ministry spokesman Ziad al-Zu`abi said the men had been convicted of murder and sentenced to death by the High Criminal Court. Their sentences were upheld by the Court of Cassation. The interior ministry spokesman added that the executions were carried out at the Swaqa Correctional and Rehabilitation Center in the presence of the capital`s prosecutor general and other officials. The names of the men as well as details of their crimes were not immediately made public. Sunday`s executions are the first in the kingdom in nearly eight years and comes after a number of lawmakers called for the resumption of the death penalty in an attempt to lower crime rates. Dozens of people have been sentenced to death since 2006, including at least 16 people in 2013 alone. Human rights groups, however, have expressed concern over the judiciary system in Jordan, with allegations of torture and other ill-treatment of detainees. Amnesty International previously reported that suspects had been tortured in pre-trial detention in order to obtain confessions, and the group said no adequate steps were taken to investigate the allegations.