BAGHDAD, Jan. 22 (UPI) -- Iraq's infamous Abu Ghraib prison, site of executions and torture under Saddam Hussein and a U.S. prisoner abuse scandal, will reopen, officials said Thursday.

The start-up date will depend on when renovations are completed. It'll have a new name: "Baghdad Central Prison," the Kuwaiti news agency KUNA reported.


The Justice Ministry is updating the corrections facility to meet international standards, the Iraqi Cabinet said in a statement. Acting Justice Minister Safaaldeen al-Safi and other government officials have inspected the ongoing work, it said.

The prison, west of Baghdad, has been closed since the abuse scandal erupted in 2006.