Norwegian court jails Iraqi cleric for urging Muslims to kill
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 31 October 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Norwegian court jails Iraqi cleric for urging Muslims to kill, 31 October 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56813cd022.html [accessed 22 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. |
October 31, 2015
A Norwegian court sentenced a controversial Kurdish Islamic cleric to 18 months in prison October 30 for urging Muslims to kill on national television.
Iraqi-born Najmuddin Faraj Ahmad, also known as Mullah Krekar, in February said a Kurdish man living in Norway deserved to die after he posted images of himself burning the Koran.
Krekar said in an interview with broadcaster NRK that he would "send a gift" to whoever killed the man.
"There is a real possibility that someone would do what [Krekar] urged," the court ruled. "The court does not consider the ... statements to be protected by freedom of speech."
Krekar was released from prison shortly before the intervew for making death threats in 2010 against four people, including Erna Solberg, who later became Norway's prime minister.
Krekar, 59, has two weeks to appeal.
Krekar has been a controversial figure since he was granted asylum in Norway in 1991.
Norway and the United States have accused him of financing a defunct Iraqi Sunni insurgent group called Ansar al-Islam, which reportedly merged with the Islamic State last year.
Based on reporting by AP and dpa
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
