An Iraqi court has sentenced an Islamic State leader to death for being “primarily responsible” for a suicide attack in January 2021 that killed 32 people, according to an official statement released on Monday.
Two suicide bombers blew themselves up on January 21, 2021 in the center of the capital, Baghdad, in an attack claimed by ISIS, injuring more than 110 people, and the explosion claimed the largest number of deaths in the capital since the announcement of “victory” over organization in 2017.
A statement released by Judicial Media said: “The Central Criminal Court of the Federal Court of Appeal of Baghdad, Rusafa, has handed down the death sentence for a criminal (Q) serving as governor of the south in the ISIS terrorist organization. and is the first responsible for the bombing at the Balat market in the Bab al-Sharqi district early last year, in which he died. “Dozens of martyrs and wounded.” She added that after an investigation, the man confessed to belonging to ISIS since 2012.
The statement added that he also admitted that he “planned to breach the security system in the capital Baghdad and equipped two suicide bombers in the explosion in the area of Bab al-Sharqi (Al-Balat market).” Accordingly, he was sentenced to death under the Anti-Terrorism Act No. 13 of 2005. This law punishes anyone who has been convicted of “terrorism,” a charge that can include being part of an extremist group, even if the defendant was not convicted of any specific actions.
In early April, the People’s Mobilization announced the arrest of “two terrorists who led the explosion in Tayaran Square in the center of the capital Baghdad” and brought them to court. In late April, four terrorism convicts were sentenced to death for involvement in a car bomb attack in the city of Ramadi in Anbar province.
Since Iraq declared its “victory” against ISIS, Iraqi courts have handed down hundreds of death sentences against ISIS members. According to Amnesty International, Iraq is the fourth-largest country in the world with the death penalty after China, Iran and Saudi Arabia. Although Iraqi forces managed to dismantle the organization after bloody fighting, its cells are still active in some areas far from the cities, occasionally striking military installations.
A report released by the United Nations Security Council in January 2022 indicated that the organization “maintained its ability to carry out attacks at a constant rate in Iraq, including hit-and-run operations, ambushes and roadside bombs, while its activities were markedly concentrated in governorates of Kirkuk, Diyala and Salah al-Din. The last bloody explosion in the capital took place in July 2021, on the eve of the Kurban Bayram holiday, which killed dozens of people, mostly children.
