Iraqi court sentences alleged ISIS lawyer to death

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraq’s Nineveh Criminal Court on Sunday sentenced a man who reportedly worked as a lawyer for the Islamic State following the emergence of the jihadist group in Iraq and Syria in 2014.

The person held a prominent position within the group’s hierarchy, according to a statement released by the Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq.

The convicted man confessed during his trial to having pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and receiving orders and instructions from the jihadist group’s leadership while he was in Syria’s Hajin area.

The statement mentioned he was responsible for identifying prominent figures in Nineveh for the Islamic State and threatening them of murder.

The sentence was handed down in accordance with the provisions of Article IV of the anti-terrorism law.

Human rights groups have long criticized inconsistencies in the Iraqi judicial process and the preponderance of flawed trials.

The Islamic State emerged in Iraq in 2014 and quickly occupied vast swaths of territory in the country. In late 2017, Iraq declared final victory against it, but the extremist group continues to launch insurgency attacks, ambushes, and kidnappings across the country.

Editing by Nadia Riva