BAGHDAD: A court in the Iraqi capital on Wednesday cleared a Swedish woman of allegations that she belonged to the Daesh group due to lack of evidence, a judicial source said.
Under Iraq’s anti-terrorism law, courts can sentence to death anyone found guilty of belonging to IS, including non-combatants.
cthe judicial source told AFP.
But she was sentenced in a separate case to six months in prison for illegally entering Iraq, the source added.
During questioning, Lazar had told interrogators she had come to Iraq with her husband and their three children, now aged five, four and three.
She said her husband had been killed in 2016 during bombing of Tal Afar, near Mosul in the north of the country.
More than 300 people, including around 100 foreigners, have been sentenced to death and many others to life imprisonment in Iraq for joining Daesh, the Sunni extremist group which at its peak controlled nearly a third of the country.
Iraq clears Swedish woman accused of belonging to Daesh
Iraq clears Swedish woman accused of belonging to Daesh
- Victoria Lazar, a Swede of Serbian origin in her late 20s, was acquitted of the charge “for lack of sufficient evidence”
Putin thanks UAE’s president for Ukraine mediation efforts
- Russian president meets Emirati counterpart, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, in Moscow for talks spanning international affairs and bilateral trade
- Another round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine is due to take place in Abu Dhabi on Sunday
LONDON: Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked his counterpart from the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, on Thursday for his mediation efforts on the war in Ukraine.
As Russian and Ukrainian negotiators prepare for another round of peace talks, due to take place in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, the Emirati president met the Russian leader at the Kremlin during an official visit to Moscow.
Putin “expressed his appreciation to the UAE for hosting the trilateral talks involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States,” the Emirates News Agency reported.
Sheikh Mohammed said he was proud to have helped mediate prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine, and the UAE was ready to “assist all constructive efforts” regarding important humanitarian matters.
The leaders also discussed the latest developments in the Middle East. Regarding the conflict between Israel and Palestine, they said there was an “urgent need to intensify efforts to achieve a clear path towards a just and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution.”
Other topics included ways in which bilateral cooperation might be strengthened in areas such as trade, investment, technology, space and energy.
Russia and the UAE have moved to deepen ties in recent years. They signed two key trade and economic partnership agreements last summer.
