[JURIST] Iraqi Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi has urged fellow Vice President Adil Abdul-Mahdi and President Jalal Talabani [profiles] to press the Iraqi parliament to pardon Iraqi detainees not classified as "dangerous elements" linked to the insurgency, according to AP Sunday. Of the 25,000 Iraqis now are being held by the US, 90 percent are believed to be Sunnis. In a letter, Al-Hashemi also expressed concerns about the treatment accorded many detainees and delays they have encountered in having their cases resolved.

Al-Hashemi has spent the last few weeks in a high-profile tour of prisons in Iraq, drawing criticism from Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki [BBC profile], who has threatened to ban government officials from such visits. AP has more.