News24
17 Apr 2018, 22:09 GMT+10
Iraq on Tuesday sentenced a French woman to life in prison for belonging to the Islamic State group, the latest in a series of court rulings since the country's defeat of ISIS.
Djamila Boutoutaou, a 29-year-old of Algerian origin, told a Baghdad court that she had left France with her husband, a rapper.
She said she thought they were going on holiday but "when I arrived in Turkey I discovered that my husband was a jihadist".
She said she was forced by her husband to join ISIS and live in the "caliphate" that the jihadists proclaimed in 2014 straddling Syria and Iraq.
Her husband was killed near the former jihadist stronghold of Mosul, northern Iraq, and her son died in bombardment, Boutoutaou said.
Two Russian women, both holding children in their arms, were also sentenced to life in prison at the same hearing.
Iraq declared victory in December against ISIS, which at one point controlled a third of the country.
The Iraqi anti-terrorism law empowers courts to convict people who are believed to have helped ISIS even if they are not accused of violence.
In January, an Iraqi court condemned a German woman to death after finding her guilty of belonging to ISIS.
A court the following month sentenced another French woman to seven months in jail for entering Iraq illegally but ordered her release on time already served.
Several dozen Turkish women have been sentenced to death under Iraqi anti-terrorism laws.
KEEP UPDATED on the latest news by subscribing to our FREE newsletter.
- FOLLOW News24 on Twitter
Get a daily dose of Iraq Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Iraq Sun.
More InformationTHE HAGUE, Netherlands: NATO is pressing ahead with a sweeping new defense spending target, calling on all 32 member nations to commit...
NEW YORK, U.S.: A political newcomer is on the verge of reshaping New York City politics. Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assemblyman...
MADISON, Wisconsin: Tens of millions of residents across the Midwest and East Coast faced dangerously high temperatures over the weekend...
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza - Seven Israeli soldiers were killed in a large explosion in southern Gaza's Khan Younis area on Tuesday night,...
DUBAI, U.A.E.: Iran's top clerics are quietly accelerating succession plans for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was threatened...
BEIJING, China: Extreme weather is once again testing China's resilience, as intensifying monsoon rains trigger floods across major...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: The escalation of conflict between Israel and Iran, compounded by the United States' military involvement,...
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza - Seven Israeli soldiers were killed in a large explosion in southern Gaza's Khan Younis area on Tuesday night,...
DUBAI, U.A.E.: Iran's top clerics are quietly accelerating succession plans for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was threatened...
ANKARA, Turkey: Amid rising tensions in the Middle East, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) announced it would form a new...
WASHINGTON DC, - U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed a ceasefire has been reached between Israel and Iran. He made the claim on...
Western support for Israel's right to strike Iran backs up a pattern of pre-emptive violence that critics say is further eroding international...