French extremists on death row in Iraq appeal to UN
February 7, 2020, 10:36 am

French extremists on death row in Iraq appeal to UN

A picture taken on October 27, 2019 shows a destroyed building in the old city of Mosul, the former base of ISIS in northern Iraq. (AFP)

Five French extremists on death row in Iraq have appealed to the UN to pressure France into bringing them home, their lawyer said Thursday, adding they were suffering inhumane treatment.

Eleven French nationals were sentenced to death last year in Iraq and three others to life imprisonment after being convicted of membership of ISIS.

The prisoners were all captured in Syria and transferred to Iraq for trial.

None of the executions have been carried out so far, with France regularly reiterating its opposition to the death penalty.

Lawyer Nabil Boudi said that Brahim Nejara, Bilel Kabaoui, Leonard Lopez, Fodil Tahar Aouidate, and Mourad Delhomme, who were among the 11 on death row, had suffered “inhuman and degrading treatment in Iraqi prisons.”

The French government was “perfectly informed of the situation” but was “not acting to stop it”, he alleged, emphasizing that the state had a duty to offer consular protection to “all French citizens, without exception.”

Boudi has appealed to the United Nations Committee against Torture, which monitors the implementation by member states of the UN Convention against Torture, to “take provisional protective measures...to avoid the complainants suffering irreparable harm.”

He also asked the Geneva-based Committee to condemn the French state for refusing to bring the extremists home to face trial in France.

In a letter sent to their families in January, published by French daily Liberation and seen by AFP, two of the French convicts complained of “incessant threats, verbal and physical, from militia” working inside Baghdad’s Rusafa prison.

“Some of us have been tortured and humiliated. The pressure is so great that some among us have closed themselves off and start talking to themselves and are better off dead,” Brahim Nejara and Fodil Tahar Aouidate wrote.

A visiting French official had told them in December there was “nothing he could do,” they added.

The NGO Human Rights Watch in May reported the use by Iraqi interrogators of a range of torture techniques, including “falaka” or beating them on the soles of their feet, and waterboarding, which simulates drowning.

Last week, France’s national consultative commission on human rights, which advises the government, recommended that they are brought back home.

But with public opinion in France, where over 250 people have been killed in extremist attacks since 2015, firmly against allowing them to return home, President Emmanuel Macron’s government is loathed to take them back.

So far, the government has only taken back extremists’ children. To date, 17 children have been repatriated and placed with family members or in state care.

source: AFP

Syria Air Defense ‘nearly hit’ passenger plane: Russian Defense Ministry Trump confirms killing of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula chief in Yemen

BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”