Suspected killer of Karbala mayor handed death sentence

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The man suspected of killing Karbala’s mayor earlier this month has been handed a death sentence by Karbala Criminal Court, state media reported on Sunday. 

Abeer Salim al-Khafaji was shot three times in the chest while supervising a campaign to end land abuses on August 10.

The unnamed suspect, said to be a man whose illegally-constructed house was being torn down , was arrested a day after the murder and was brought in front of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi during his visit to Karbala on the same day. The PM spoke with the suspect, who was blindfolded and surrounded by security forces, calling for “retribution” for the killing.

According to Article Four of Iraq’s 2005 Counter-Terrorism Law, anyone found guilty of committing a terror offense is given the death sentence, with life imprisonment given to those who assist or hide those convicted of terrorism.

The mayor was being escorted by security forces at the time of his death. Last week, ten members of the security forces were sentenced to 12 years each in prison for their failure to provide necessary protection for the mayor.