Abu Ghraib Prison Has Been Closed

The Government of Iraq reported that the Abu Ghraib prison has been closed, this was prompted by fears about safety.

The Minister of Justice, Shimmari Hassan, said that 2,400 prisoners were transferred to other jails in provinces in the north and center of the country.

Abu Ghraib is in an unstable region of Baghdad.

All employees of the prison service were transferred to other prisons of the Iraqi capital.

Abu Ghraib gained worldwide notoriety after the revelation in 2004 of pictures showing the physical, sexual and psychological abuse of prisoners by U.S. guards.

Since then the name has been changed to the Central Prison of Baghdad.