Iraq hands down death penalty for IS terrorist over deadly car bomb blast

Diyala (IraqiNews.com) – An Iraqi court has sentenced an Islamic State militant to death over his involvement in a deadly car bomb attack in the province of Diyala.

“The Diyala Criminal Court handed down a death penalty for a terrorist after he admitted booby trapping a vehicle to target a funeral ceremony in Abu Sayda district in Diyala, an explosion which left scores of civilians dead and wounded,” Alghad Press website quoted the Supreme Judicial Council media center as saying in a press statement on Wednesday.

“The court ruling was issued pursuant to article ¼ of the anti-terrorism law,” added the statement.

The law empowers courts to convict people who are believed to have helped jihadists even if they are not accused of carrying out attacks.

Iraqi courts have sentenced many of Islamic State members, including a big number of female members, to death over joining the militant group.

The exact number of detained Islamic State militants is still unknown, however, it’s estimated to be at thousands. It’s also unclear how many members are likely to face death sentences.

Human rights groups have always criticized collective death sentences issued by Iraqi courts, claiming that some detainees are tortured and threatened.