Iraq sends 3 children to Georgia after mother sentenced for IS links

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Three children arrived at the Georgian capital of Tbilisi on Saturday after spending time in an Iraqi prison with their mother, now serving a life sentence for association with the Islamic State (IS) jihadi group. 

In Iraq, young minors are often jailed along with their mothers, even in high-security facilities.

"The mother of the children is a citizen of Georgia and sentenced to life imprisonment for the fact that her husband was a Russian citizen who was killed in the fighting in Iraq and was charged with terrorism, especially for his involvement in the Da'ash [IS] organization," Georgian Justice Minister Taya Tsolukhani told reporters, as quoted by Russian Interfax news agency.

Tsolukhani stated that she visited the woman in May at a prison in Baghdad. Since then, she has actively worked to bring the three children back to Georgia.

"We all agree that prison is not a place for children," she said.

According to Tsolukhan, the children are two, four, and six years old and will now live with their grandparents in Georgia.

She stressed that Georgian authorities would continue to negotiate with Iraqi officials to urge them to review the appropriateness of the woman's sentence.

Tsolukiani hoped that the return of Georgian children to their homeland would serve as an example for other countries, hundreds of whose citizens are also in Baghdad prisons.

The Georgian Justice Ministry previously stated that the offices of UNICEF and the International Committee of the Red Cross in Iraq worked alongside representatives of the Georgian authorities for the return of the children to the country.

Following the emergence of IS in Iraq and Syria in 2014, many foreign nationals traveled to the region to join the extremist group.

Over the past couple of years, Iraqi forces have arrested tens of thousands of people they claim are members or affiliates of the jihadist group.

Human Rights groups complain that large numbers of women have been given harsh sentences, including the death penalty and life in prison, with no evidence to suggest that they took part in any criminal activity.

In many cases, similar to Justice Minister Tsolukhani's characterization of the charges against the Georgian woman, the suspected actions of their husbands can be enough to bring tough penalties.

Editing by John J. Catherine