In late-December 1989, Iran released 50 sick or disabled Iraqi POWs for “humanitarian reasons” (Los Angeles Times 26 Dec. 1989). In mid-September 1990 the POW-exchange was stopped by Iraq without official notice (Xinhua 18 Sept. 1990). In November 1990, Iran and Iraq announced that an exchange of POWs convicted of criminal offenses would commence on 21 November 1990, the day before the normal exchange of POWs was to begin again (Xinhua 19 Nov. 1990).