Court sentences two men for membership in secretive suicide-lottery group

NAJAF — A court in Najaf sentenced two men to six years in prison after convicting them of belonging to the secretive “Qurban” group, also known as the Al-Alaahiyah Movement, a judicial source told 964media Monday.

The two were arrested while allegedly performing a ritual involving a lottery for suicide, in which participants light candles and the person whose candle goes out is expected to die “as a sacrifice for religion and closeness to God.”

Iraqi authorities have pursued members of the group because of rituals they say encourage suicide and threaten public security, though Iraqi law does not prohibit the formation of new religious movements. Security forces have carried out repeated arrests in southern governorates including Dhi Qar, Wasit, Basra, Muthanna and Maysan.

Authorities accuse the group of operating through a hierarchy in which the highest-ranking figure is referred to as “the savior,” followed by a rank known as “the concerned one.” They say the movement promotes extreme interpretations that elevate Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib to divine status, views rejected by mainstream Shiite doctrine.

In October 2024, Iraq’s National Security Agency announced the arrest of 35 people linked to the group across four governorates. In February 2025, the National Security Service in Maysan said it arrested 10 suspects after preventing what officials described as a planned ritual suicide by a selected group member.