4 civilians sentenced to death on murder, robbery charges

WASSIT / IraqiNews.com: The Criminal Court in Wassit on Tuesday handed down death sentences against four civilians after being found guilty of murder and robbery. “The sentences were handed down in accordance with Article 4 of the Anti-terrorism Law,” the head of the criminal investigations department in Wassit, Lt. Col. Baqir Hadi, told IraqiNews.com. The convicts were arrested earlier this year during search raids in al-Suweira area (135 km north of Kut city), Hadi explained. A Shiite province, Wassit, 180 km south of Baghdad, is in the east of the country. Its name comes from the Arabic word meaning “middle,” as it lies along the Tigris about midway between Baghdad and Basra. Its major cities include the capital, al-Kut, and al-Hayy. Prior to 1976 it was known as Kut Province. SS (P) 1