Iraqi Justice Minister Khalid Shivani said that there are 65,000 prisoners in 31 jails across the country, and that facilities are operating at 200 percent.

“When we took office, the overcrowding was 300 percent; we reduced it to 200 percent in two years. Our goal is to reach international standards next year,” Shivani told The Associated Press.

2,118 prisoners were released from prisons affiliated with the Justice Ministry under the general amnesty law that went into effect in January. However, human rights organizations are concerned that the amnesty provisions could also cover corruption and terrorism offenders.

The minister said that four new prisons had been built to solve the capacity problem, and that efforts were being made to improve conditions with two newly opened institutions and six expanded institutions. Negotiations are also ongoing with various countries to extradite hundreds of foreign ISIS members held in prisons in the country.

The death penalty in the country has been temporarily suspended under the amnesty law.