Iraq hands life in prison to man for attempting to “overthrow” government

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – An Iraqi court handed a life sentence to a person accused of partaking in alleged plans to “overthrow” the federal government as part of the outlawed Baathist party that fell in 2003.

The man had reportedly confessed he had contact with officers in the Saddam Hussein-era Iraqi army “with the aim of destabilizing the country’s security and overthrow” the government “through illegal means and acts of terrorism,” the Supreme Judicial Council said in a statement on Tuesday.

The individual had purportedly attended meetings to revive the Baath Party in the city of Baqubah, the provincial capital of Diyala, located northeast of Baghdad, according to the statement.

The verdict was issued by the Diyala Criminal Court under the anti-terrorism law.

The name of the person and their age was not disclosed.

The Baath Party ruled the Iraqi state for more than three decades before being overthrown in 2003 by an international coalition led by the US. The political organization was later constitutionally banned from any form of political activity in the country.

The party, led by former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, was responsible for horrific crimes against the minority populations in Iraq, mainly the Kurds in the north.

During his rule, Hussein and his party were accused of war crimes, ethnic cleansing, genocide, and widespread violations of human rights in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.

Editing by Nadia Riva