BAGHDAD: Human Rights Watch on Friday condemned France’s “outsourcing” of trials of Daesh group suspects to “abusive justice systems,” after seven of its nationals have this week been sentenced to death in Iraq.
Two of them have “alleged that they were tortured or coerced to confess,” the New York-based watchdog said in a statement.
“France and other countries should not be outsourcing management of their terrorism suspects to abusive justice systems,” said HRW’s acting Middle East director, Lama Fakih.
“These countries should not be sitting idly by while their citizens are transferred to a country where their right to a fair trial and protection from torture are undermined.”
A Baghdad court sentenced a Frenchman to death on Wednesday for joining Daesh, bringing to seven the number of French militants on death row in Iraq. Yassine Sakkam’s sentence came despite France reiterating its opposition to capital punishment this week.
In January, a group of 11 French citizens and one Tunisian was handed over to Iraqi authorities by a US-backed force which expelled the militant group from its last bastion in Syria.
Around 1,000 suspected foreign Daesh militants are held in detention by this Kurdish force and Iraq has offered to put them on trial in exchange for millions of dollars, potentially solving a legal conundrum for Western governments.
France ‘outsourcing’ Daesh trials to Iraq
France ‘outsourcing’ Daesh trials to Iraq
- Around 1,000 suspected foreign Daesh militants are held in detention by this Kurdish force and Iraq has offered to put them on trial in exchange for millions of dollars
Senegalese president meets Kuwaiti crown prince ahead of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
- Bassirou Diomaye Faye visits Kuwait and the UAE this week to strengthen his country’s ties with Gulf nations
LONDON: The president of Senegal, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, arrived in Kuwait on Monday for an official visit before traveling on to the UAE to participate in Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.
Faye, who was accompanied by ministers responsible for national transformation, African integration, foreign affairs, finance and water management, held talks with Kuwait’s crown prince, Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, on a number of issues, officials said.
The president aims to strengthen ties between Senegal and Gulf countries during his visits to Kuwait and the UAE this week, his office said. And on Jan. 14 and 15 he will take part in the final two days of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, described as a significant annual, international event dedicated to addressing the challenges related to sustainable development, energy transition and innovation.
Faye was welcomed on arrival in Kuwait by the country’s prime minister, Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah; the deputy assistant foreign minister for African affairs, Naif Mohammed Al-Mudhaf; and other officials.
