A special pardon granted by the Iraq's President Barham Salih to a former governor’s son convicted of drug trafficking has sparked great uproar in a country facing unprecedented levels of drug trafficking and abuse.
In January 2018, Iraqi security forces arrested Jawad Luay Al Yassiri, the son of then Najaf governor Luay Al Yassiri, and two friends who were with him in his car as he drove into Baghdad. They found nearly 6 kilograms of hashish and 7,000 pills, as well as money and a pistol.
The Baghdad Criminal Court sentenced Mr Al Yassiri and his friends to prison terms of 15 years in March that year.
A presidential decree pardoning the men, dated January 10, was leaked on Saturday night ― distributed online by social media accounts and politicians that are against Mr Salih nomination for a second-term in office, along with a letter issued five days earlier by the cabinet. The letter informed the president of Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi's decision to release the three, asking him to issue the pardon.
Amid a subsequent media uproar, Mr Salih issued brief statement on Saturday night, confirming the pardon's authenticity and defending his action.
“The Presidential Decree was issued after a recommendation we received from the Cabinet Secretariat,” the statement said.
Mr Salih cited Article 73 of the constitution, which gives the president the right to issue a pardon for those charged with specific crimes after a recommendation by the prime minister.
There was no comment from Prime Minster's Mustafa Al Kadhimi’s office on the cabinet's letter as of Sunday afternoon.
Iraqis have directed their anger at both the president and the prime minister for the move, which comes as the country is struggling to combat growing drug trafficking and abuse.
“This has only one explanation. The government sponsors and covers for the crimes that kill Iraqi society and devastate its youth,” columnist Falah Al Mishaal said in a post on his Twitter account accompanied the photos of the pardon and the drugs seized from Mr Al Yassiri, issued by the security forces after the 2018 arrest.
Since the removal of Saddam Hussein's regime in the 2003 US-led invasion, Iraq has gone from being a corridor for smuggling drugs to neighbouring countries to a place where drug use is widespread, mainly among youth.
Security and health officials blame successive weak governments, as well as widespread corruption among security forces, porous borders and a lack of co-operation between government agencies.
Early this month gunmen shot and killed a judge specialising in drug-related cases in the southern province of Maysan. The province, which borders Iran, is considered a major hub for drug trafficking.
“We are seeing today the President of the Republic issuing a pardon for one of the drug dealers as the blood of Judge Ahmed Faisal Khasaf has not dried yet,” the Imtidad Movement, a political party that emerged from the October 2019 pro-reform protests, said in a statement.
“The president had to use these powers to issue pardons for the protesters who have been tried and sentenced based on false accusations,” it added.
The timing of the pardon has also raised speculation that it was part of political deal-making as parties vie to form the next government following the general election in October last year.
Luay Al Yassiri's resignation as governor of Najaf was accepted by the prime minister on January 4, the day before the cabinet issued its recommendation for his son to be pardoned.
A Shiite lawmaker, who asked for anonymity, said the pardon was part of a deal to secure the governor's resignation.
Luay Al Yassiri had said at the time of his resignation that his family had been receiving threats, without offering any details.
Shiite populist cleric Moqtada Al Sadr's political group emerged a clear winner in October national elections, a triumph that has given him the power to play a major role in forming the government.
In a bid to consolidate his power, Mr Al Sadr moved late last year to remove governors in some southern provinces, including Luay Al Yassiri of Najaf.
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Teaching your child to save
Pre-school (three - five years)
You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.
Early childhood (six - eight years)
Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.
Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)
Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.
Young teens (12 - 14 years)
Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.
Teenage (15 - 18 years)
Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.
Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)
Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.
* JP Morgan Private Bank
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
2.0
Director: S Shankar
Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films
Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
War
Director: Siddharth Anand
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Ashutosh Rana, Vaani Kapoor
Rating: Two out of five stars
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP
Group A
Paraguay
Japan
Switzerland
USA
Group B
Uruguay
Mexico
Italy
Tahiti
Group C
Belarus
UAE
Senegal
Russia
Group D
Brazil
Oman
Portugal
Nigeria
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RESULTS
Bantamweight
Victor Nunes (BRA) beat Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK)
(Split decision)
Featherweight
Hussein Salim (IRQ) beat Shakhriyor Juraev (UZB)
(Round 1 submission, armbar)
Catchweight 80kg
Rashed Dawood (UAE) beat Otabek Kadirov (UZB)
(Round-1 submission, rear naked choke)
Lightweight
Ho Taek-oh (KOR) beat Ronald Girones (CUB)
(Round 3 submission, triangle choke)
Lightweight
Arthur Zaynukov (RUS) beat Damien Lapilus (FRA)
(Unanimous points)
Bantamweight
Vinicius de Oliveira (BRA) beat Furkatbek Yokubov (RUS)
(Round 1 TKO)
Featherweight
Movlid Khaybulaev (RUS) v Zaka Fatullazade (AZE)
(Round 1 rear naked choke)
Flyweight
Shannon Ross (TUR) beat Donovon Freelow (USA)
(Unanimous decision)
Lightweight
Dan Collins (GBR) beat Mohammad Yahya (UAE)
(Round 2 submission D’arce choke)
Catchweight 73kg
Martun Mezhulmyan (ARM) beat Islam Mamedov (RUS)
(Round 3 submission, kneebar)
Bantamweight world title
Xavier Alaoui (MAR) beat Jaures Dea (CAM)
(Unanimous points 48-46, 49-45, 49-45)
Flyweight world title
Manon Fiorot (FRA) v Gabriela Campo (ARG)
(Round 1 RSC)
US%20federal%20gun%20reform%20since%20Sandy%20Hook
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Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
RESULT
Bournemouth 0 Southampton 3 (Djenepo (37', Redmond 45' 1, 59')
Man of the match Nathan Redmond (Southampton)
match info
Union Berlin 0
Bayern Munich 1 (Lewandowski 40' pen, Pavard 80')
Man of the Match: Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich)
Married Malala
Malala Yousafzai is enjoying married life, her father said.
The 24-year-old married Pakistan cricket executive Asser Malik last year in a small ceremony in the UK.
Ziauddin Yousafzai told The National his daughter was ‘very happy’ with her husband.
The%20specs
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Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
