Baghdad: Against the jihadists action of mass killing in the year 2014 (June), the Iraqi Court has sentenced 40 captured members to death. The decision was taken by the Central Criminal Court in Baghdad, where it found the 40 defendants guilty of involving in the ‘Speicher’ massacre. There were 47 defendants in the matter and out of them, 40 found guilty.
Further, as per the statements released by Spokesman for judiciary of Iraq- Abdel Sattar Bayraqdar that the 40 defendants were convicted of involvement in the incident and remaining 7 defendants were released due to lack of evidences. Moreover court has also ordered the execution of such 40 convicts.
Moreover, on the issues like the circumstances of arrest of such defendants, their details and even that how many were present at the Trial, were not disclosed by the Spokesman.
However, as stated by him, the sentences were declared as per provisions contemplated under Anti- terrorism law of Iraq and specifically, as per its Article Four. And as per this provision, the persons who perpetrates, incites, plans, finances or assists acts of terrorism will be sentenced to death.
It was notable that on the Speicher Massacre, which was committed during the first days of offensive of the Islamic State Group in Iraq, there were 24 men sentenced to hang, in the similar trial which, in the year 2015 (July).
However, the trial was criticized by the Rights Groups and it was due to its not meeting many of the standards required for such crimes. It was seen in the Speicher Massacre that there were around 1,700 people murdered, as estimated. The highest estimate for the number of men murdered in the Speicher massacre is 1,700. Tikrit was retaken from ISIS in the year 2015 (April). And those 1,700 people were from the soldiers and they were slaughtered after they fled from an ex- US Army base outside the northern city of Tikrit. Moreover, it was also seen that the dozens of people (suspects) were arrested by the Security Forces over the Mass killings of soldiers. And also around 600 suspects are still in jail.
Adv. Faim Khalilkhan Pathan