Dutch jihadist gets 8 years in prison in Iraq

A Dutch person in custody in Iraq is serving an 8 years long prison sentence for terrorism. When exactly this person was sentenced is not known, ANP reports.

On Wednesday the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that one Dutch person is in custody in Iraq, but revealed no further details about it. He is receiving consular assistance for the Dutch consulate in the Iraqi-Kurdish city of Arbil, according to the Ministry.

As far as is known, this is the only Dutch person in an Iraqi cell for terrorism. Iraq has special courts for people suspected of involvement with terrorist organization ISIS. The trials in these courts are often very short and usually end in a death sentence or life imprisonment.

On Tuesday a Belgian jihadist was sentenced to death in Iraq for being a member of ISIS. The Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Didier Reynders, asked the Iraqi authorities to change his punishment to a life sentence, according to NU.nl. Whether they will agree is not clear.