Iraqi asylum seekers, twins, acquitted over IS massacre
The court found that the extremist group’s video and the Iraqis who testified against them did not provide conclusive proof.
HELSINKI, Norway (Kurdistan24) – A Finnish court on Wednesday acquitted two Iraqi brothers, twins, accused of war crimes over their alleged role in the 2014 Islamic State (IS) Speicher Camp massacre in Iraq.
The court said there was not enough “conclusive evidence” for a conviction.
The brothers were accused of taking part in the massacre of unarmed, mostly Shia militia recruits captured outside the Speicher Camp military base near Tikrit.
One of the brothers was suspected of appearing in an IS propaganda video where he is seen executing at least 11 prisoners.
However, the prosecutor was unable to identify which of the twins appeared in the video and opted to charge them both for their involvement with the crime.
The court found that the extremist group’s video and the Iraqis who testified against them did not provide conclusive proof.
The men, born in 1992, came to Finland as asylum seekers in September 2015 but were arrested shortly after and pleaded not guilty.
The brothers were immediately released and are expected to resume their applications for asylum in Finland.
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany