In Germany, Iraqi man sentenced to 4 years and 7 months for ISIS membership — Der Spiegel
The Higher Regional Court of Thuringia in Jena, Germany, sentenced a 66-year-old man from Iraq to four years and seven months in prison for membership in a foreign terrorist organization. The court found it proven that the man joined the terrorist group Islamic State in 2014. The verdict has not yet become final, Der Spiegel reports.
Work in propaganda and participation in fighting
According to the court, the defendant carried out various tasks for ISIS. Initially, he held a senior position in the group's media and propaganda unit. In July 2015, the man sustained serious injuries during fighting in Iraq.
In 2015 and 2016, he performed duties in the Islamic police and continued to actively participate in combat operations. For this, he received a salary and other financial payments for himself and his family. The court also noted that the man largely admitted to his membership in ISIS and his activities as an instructor.
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The court rejected the version of coercion
The man, who was born in 1960 and comes from Mosul, left Iraq in the second half of 2017. He has been in custody since December last year. In court, he claimed that he did not join ISIS voluntarily but agreed to cooperate in order to protect his family.
The court regarded these explanations as a defense version that was refuted by evidence, including the group's membership lists and a propaganda video. The Federal Public Prosecutor General's Office sought six years in prison, while the defense requested that the defendant be acquitted or given a suspended sentence. The court ordered that the man remain in custody.
When determining the sentence, the court took into account that the convicted man's direct involvement in killings or crimes against humanity was not the subject of these proceedings. The particular danger posed by ISIS as a terrorist group was cited as an aggravating circumstance.
