Second Iraqi fighter found guilty of war crimes in Finland
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 23 March 2016 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Second Iraqi fighter found guilty of war crimes in Finland, 23 March 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5768ff866.html [accessed 21 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
March 23, 2016
A second Iraqi migrant to Finland was found guilty this week of a war crime for posting photos of himself on Facebook with the decapitated head of an enemy fighter.
Finland's Kanta-Hame district court gave Hadi Habeeb Hilal, 23, a 13-month suspended sentence on March 22 for desecrating the corpse of the Islamic State fighter seen in the Facebook posting.
Hilal's countryman, Jebbar Salman Ammar, posted three similar pictures on a different occasion, and received a 16-month suspended sentence at another Finnish court last week.
Hilal, who served as a sergeant in the Iraqi Army, admitted to posting the picture in April 2015 but denied committing a war crime.
Both Iraqi men arrived in Finland about six months ago as part of Europe's huge migrant influx. The country of 5.4 million people received some 32,000 mostly Iraqi asylum seekers last year.
Based on reporting by AFP and AP
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
