IRAQ: BELGIAN MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR BELONGING TO ISLAMIC STATE

March 19, 2019:

An Iraqi court sentenced a Belgian man to death by hanging on 18 March 2019 for being part of the Islamic State militant group.
The Central Criminal Court in Baghdad handed Belgian national Bilal al-Marchohi, 23, the death penalty for belonging to and conducting operations on behalf of Islamic State (IS).
During an hour of proceedings, the presiding judge read out portions of Marchohi’s signed confession and showed a video and photographs that he said proved his membership of IS.
The images from a phone found in his possession at the time of his arrest showed Marchohi carrying a gun and making a hand gesture affiliated with the militants.
Marchohi denied all allegations against him in open court, including that he was a member of IS at any time.
“I shouldn’t be prosecuted in Iraq,” Marchohi said. “I should be prosecuted in Belgium. I am a Belgian citizen.”