Death sentence issued over killing of Basra anti-crime officer

BASRA — The Basra Criminal Court sentenced a man to death on Sunday for the killing of Maj. Hussein Asaad Abu Risha, an officer with the Basra Anti-Crime Directorate, nine weeks after the shooting.

The Judicial Media Office said the court found the defendant killed Abu Risha with the intent of disrupting security and pursuing terrorist objectives, and sentenced him under Article 4/1 in conjunction with Article 2/1 and 2/3 of Anti-Terrorism Law No. 13 of 2005.

Abu Risha was killed outside his home in Basra’s al-Asma’i area on May 31. Interior Ministry Undersecretary Hussein al-Awadi ordered a specialized investigative team formed after the killing and instructed security and intelligence agencies to intensify efforts to identify those responsible. The ministry said at the time that it would not tolerate attacks on security personnel.

The judiciary did not name the defendant, say when he was arrested, or give the evidence the conviction rested on. Death sentences in Iraq are subject to appeal before the Court of Cassation and require ratification by the president before they can be carried out.