BAGHDAD — Iraq has confirmed seven more executions, pushing the number of people put to death this year to more than 150 in defiance of widespread international condemnation. Those executed, who includaed a Libyan, had all been convicted of offences related to “terrorism,” a statement posted on the justice ministry website on Thursday said. They bring to at least 151 the number of people put to death by Iraqi authorities this year, compared to 129 for all of 2012, according to an AFP tally based on reports from the ministry and officials. The statement, which was accompanied by an image of a noose, listed 19 executions between November 7 and 17 , but 12 of them had already been announced by a ministry official earlier this week.

The statement named the Libyan put to death as Adel Omar Mohammed, adding that he had been convicted of carrying out two car bombings. In a departure from its normal practice, the ministry published the names of those executed, and the offences they had been found guilty of. Executions in Iraq, usually carried out by hanging, have increased this year despite persistent international calls for a moratorium. UN human rights chief Navi Pillay said this year that Iraq’s criminal justice system was “not functioning adequately.” – AFP