Iraq sentences Belgian man to death for ISIS membership

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – An Iraqi court on Monday sentenced a Belgian man to death by hanging for being a member of the Islamic State.

The Central Criminal Court in Baghdad ruled in favor of a death sentence for Belgian national Bilal al-Marchohi, 23, for being part of the Islamic State and conducting operations on behalf of the extremist group.

Marchohi is one of the dozens of foreign nationals facing the death penalty in the country.

Iraq had sent hundreds of suspected Islamic State members to court, many of whom were arrested on the front lines in 2017 before Iraq declared victory against the group.

During an hour of proceedings, the judge read out portions of Marchohi’s signed confession and showed footage and photos that proved his membership to the Islamic State, according to Reuters.

Photos from a phone found in his possession when he was arrested, showed Marchohi holding a gun and making a hand gesture affiliated with the militant group. Other photographs showed him cradling his infant son.

The Belgian national denied all allegations against him in court, including his membership to the Islamic State.

“I shouldn’t be prosecuted in Iraq,” Marchohi said. “I should be prosecuted in Belgium. I am a Belgian citizen.”

The photos were evidence of Marchohi’s links with the terrorist group, Judge Jumaa Saidi told the court.

The Belgian national was given a court-appointed lawyer, but they had no contact with him during the trial. The judge also appointed a translator who spoke in English during the hearing.

The Belgian consular representatives also attended the proceedings.

The Belgian Foreign Ministry said it had no power to intervene, but made their opposition clear to the Iraqi government regarding the death penalty.

“We have done it a few times – even before Mr al-Marchohi and Mr Jadaoun were put to trial,” a ministry spokesperson said in Brussels.

Marchohi is the second Belgian national to receive a death sentence in Iraq for Islamic State links over the past two years. Tarek Jadoun, 30, also known as Abu Hamza al-Baljiki, was sentenced to death in May 2018.

Human rights groups have criticized the inconsistencies in the judicial process and flawed trials in Iraq.

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

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany