Former Iraqi parliamentarian Ahmed al-Alwani was found dead in Beirut on Tuesday, according to Lebanese media reports. His body was discovered in an apartment in the Tariq al-Jadida neighborhood, several days after he went missing, the reports said.
Alwani, 57, a Sunni politician from Iraq’s Anbar Province, had previously spent more than a decade in prison under a death sentence before being released in 2025.
Alwani had been kidnapped after being lured to a location in Beirut four days earlier, Lebanon’s MTV reported. He was then taken to an unknown location.
The Iraqi Embassy in Lebanon said its ambassador was personally following the case and was in direct contact with Lebanese security agencies and Alwani’s family to determine the circumstances of his disappearance.
Al-Alwani's family informed authorities that he was missing for four days
Alwani’s body had been discovered in an apartment in Tariq al-Jadida, MTV reported. Al Jazeera also reported the discovery, citing a Lebanese security source. According to the report, Lebanese security services had launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.
Initial information indicated a rope had been found around the victim’s neck, Saudi Arabian news channel Al Hadath reported. The circumstances of his death and the identity of those responsible have not been established, the report said.
The Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation was following the investigation, Sky News Arabia, citing Lebanon’s National News Agency, reported.
Alwani’s family had informed the Iraqi Embassy that he had been missing for four days, Saudi Arabian news channel Al Arabiya reported. He was an opponent of Iran-backed factions, the report said.
Al Hadath said it had dispatched journalists to the family’s home in Ramadi, Iraq, highlighting the attention the case was receiving in his home province.
Alwani's political career and opposition to Iraq's Shi'ite-led government
Alwani had a long and controversial political history in Iraq. He was a prominent figure in the Albu Alwan tribe, one of the largest in Anbar Province, and served as chairman of the Iraqi parliament’s Economic Committee. He was also known for supporting protests against Iraq’s then-Shi’ite-led government.
In December 2013, Iraqi security forces raided his home in Ramadi and arrested him. His brother and several other people were killed during the operation.
Alwani was wanted on terrorism charges and had backed protests against the government, the BBC reported at the time.
This happened during a period of growing tensions between the Iraqi government and Sunni communities in Anbar, shortly before ISIS expanded its control over parts of western Iraq.
In 2014, Iraq’s Central Criminal Court sentenced Alwani to death after convicting him of intentional homicide. His case subsequently became the subject of a prolonged international campaign.
At the time, Iraq was being run by pro-Iranian factions in the midst of the ISIS war, and sectarian tensions were running high.
Alwani had been held incommunicado, tortured, and sentenced to death by hanging despite the parliamentary immunity he should have enjoyed as a lawmaker, the Inter-Parliamentary Union said this past May.
International parliamentary efforts to secure Alwani's release
The IPU said its Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians had followed his case for more than a decade and repeatedly called for his release. A breakthrough came in 2023 when an IPU delegation visited Baghdad and met Iraqi leaders, Alwani’s family, his lawyers, and the imprisoned politician himself.
The diplomatic efforts, combined with mediation by tribal leaders and cooperation from Iraqi authorities, contributed to his acquittal and release in 2025 after 12 years in prison, the IPU said.
“This outcome is a testament to the power of persistent advocacy, dialogue, and international solidarity,” IPU Secretary-General Martin Chungong said in May.
Alwani’s reported killing comes less than two years after his release and raises new questions about the circumstances surrounding his disappearance in Lebanon.
Lebanese authorities said they were investigating the case, but reports available so far have not publicly identified any suspects or motive.