OnePeople

Iraq Empties Jails

At noon this Sunday, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein declared a general amnesty, releasing nearly every prisoner in the country. "It is the act of a father forgiving his children," one prison official said. Very few details are available, even days later. It was widely reported that the amnesty was not discharged in an orderly fashion. Crowds rushed into the prisons, and at the Abu Ghraib prison, many inmates were crushed or suffocated in the chaos.

Australia's The Age covered the incredulous response from Iraqi citizens. Sky makes the important point that many missing Kuwaitis from the 1991 invasion could be amongst those freed. The most complete coverage is from the New York Times.