Iraq on Tuesday denied claims that a Syrian man has been sentenced to death for praising Syria's President Ahmad Al Shara, who once fought as a militant in Iraq.
The death sentence issued by a criminal court in the province of Najaf, south of Baghdad, was related to convictions for terrorism charges, Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council said.
The man was found guilty of glorifying ISIS and its former leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi, it said. He was also found guilty of inciting the killing of members of the Iraqi army and the Popular Mobilisation Forces, a government-sanctioned umbrella group that mainly includes Iran-backed militias.
A document issued by the Najaf Criminal Court against the defendant, Mohammed Hassan, was circulating on social media on Tuesday, the day after the verdict. It didn’t give details of the charges but said they related to terrorism.
Some Syrians claimed that Hassan was arrested for having a photo of President Al Shara in his phone. A Syrian Assistant Foreign Minister for Arab Affairs, Mohammad Al Ahmad, had promised to follow up the case with the Iraqi authorities.
“This information is incorrect,” said the Supreme Judicial Council. It said the defendant had praised Al Baghdadi − who was killed in Syria in a US army raid in October 2019 − and the killing of Iraqi troops in Tarmiya, an agricultural area north of Baghdad, where ISIS remnants are still active. He posted a video of one attack, added the council.
It said Hassan also “called on individuals to join the terrorist ISIS gangs, and posted videos of himself burning an image of Imam Ali.” Iman Ali was a cousin of the Prophet Mohammed and is revered by Shiites. The ruling is subject to appeal.
Mr Al Shara's past as a fighter in Iraq, where he was imprisoned by US forces after the 2003 invasion, has caused controversy in Baghdad. Nonetheless, Iraq’s Shiite-led government cautiously welcomed the removal of the Bashar Al Assad regime in December, in an offensive spearheaded by Mr Al Shara’s Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, a largely Sunni group formerly affiliated with Al Qaeda.
In mid-2014, ISIS controlled large parts of northern and western Iraq along with areas of Syria, unleashing a devastating war for nearly four years and declaring an “Islamic Caliphate”. It was defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria two years later, but sleeper cells still carry out attacks in both countries.
Shiite-majority Iraq has called for an inclusive political process in Syria, expressed concern over the danger posed by a resurgent ISIS and demanded protection for religious and ethnic minorities and Shiite shrines.
However, ties have gradually been established between Baghdad and Damascus, with several high-level meetings to discuss ways to increase co-operation and strengthen ties.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani led his country's delegation to the Arab Summit meeting in Baghdad in May.
