The headquarters of the Najaf Court of Appeal, where the sentencing of a man convicted of blackmailing his underage cousin was issued.
Najaf court gives life sentence in case of Iraqis recruited to fight for Russia
NAJAF — A criminal court in Najaf has sentenced a man to life in prison and fined him 15 million Iraqi dinars (about $10,500) after convicting him of recruiting Iraqi citizens to fight in Russia, a judicial source said.
A source inside the Najaf court told 964media the man belonged to an “international criminal gang” that recruited Iraqis to travel abroad to fight in return for money. The source said recruits were enticed with financial payments and promises that included “free housing and the possibility of marriage to Russian women.”
The case comes as public debate has intensified over the recruitment of Iraqi youths to fight with Russian forces in Ukraine. An AFP investigation earlier this year detailed how hundreds of Iraqis were drawn in by social media recruiters offering high salaries, Russian citizenship and benefits, with families later reporting missing or killed relatives.
The issue drew wider attention after Iraqi artist Hussein al-Turki appeared on social media in November wearing a Russian military uniform and recounting what he described as a deceptive recruitment experience. Al-Turki said he was misled by promises of financial benefits and Russian citizenship.
In a video testimony, al-Turki said he was offered a contract by a tourism company in Iraq to perform concerts in Moscow for four months in exchange for $16,000, but later found himself “on the front lines in Ukraine.” He appealed to Iraqi authorities “to urgently intervene to resolve the issue of recruiting Iraqi youths and to rescue those who have fallen into this trap.”
Earlier this month, Ukraine’s ambassador to Iraq, Ivan Dovhanych, confirmed that Iraqi citizens have been killed while fighting alongside Russian forces. In a published article, he wrote, “Putin is doing everything he can to recruit as many fighters from abroad as possible, especially from poor countries,” adding, “Unfortunately, Iraq is one of these countries.”
Dovhanych said Ukraine “has never recruited — in any form — Iraqi citizens to serve in the Ukrainian armed forces,” and praised Iraqi judicial action against recruiters. He said a life sentence issued in Najaf reflects Iraq’s determination to protect its citizens from “death in a war that does not concern them.”
In September, an Iraqi court sentenced a man to life in prison on human trafficking charges after convicting him of recruiting Iraqis to fight for Russia against Ukraine, judicial officials said. The Najaf Criminal Court said the man formed groups and sent them to fight abroad in return for financial compensation, a ruling issued under Iraq’s anti-human trafficking law.