“The Dhi Qar Criminal Court issued a death sentence against a terrorism criminal for the crime of detonating a car bomb near the shrine of the Prophet Ayoub in the city of Hilla,” state media said, citing a Supreme Judicial Council statement.
A deadly car bomb ripped through a funeral procession of a tribal leader near a Shiite mosque south of Babil province’s Hilla in September 2011 despite a heavy police presence, killing eight mourners and injuring 50 while causing material damages.
The ruling was based on Article Four of the Counter-Terrorism Law of 2005, the court said.
According to Article Four of the 2005 Counter-Terrorism Law, anyone found guilty of committing a terror offense is given a death sentence, with life imprisonment given to those who assist or hide those convicted of terrorism.
Since the emergence of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq, thousands of people have been detained across the country for suspected links to terrorist groups, while hundreds have been executed.
Iraq ranks among the biggest executioners in the Middle East and North Africa region, according to an Amnesty International report, alongside Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Iran.
