Hanging of 42 prisoners in Iraq raises concern over flawed due process – UN rights chief High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein.   27 September 2017  – The mass hanging of 42 prisoners on Sunday in a prison in southern Iraq raises massive concerns over the country's use of the death penalty, the UN human rights chief said Wednesday.  “I am appalled to learn of the execution of 42 prisoners in a single day,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said in a press release from his Office (OHCHR), referring to the hanging at Al Hoot prison in the city of Nasiriyah. “Under international law, the death penalty may only be imposed after a strict set of substantive and procedural requirements have been met,” he added. Mr. Zeid said it was “extremely doubtful” that these strict due process and fair trial guarantees – including the men's rights to effective legal assistance and a full appeals process, and to seek pardo...