Russian embassy in Iraq files appeals against sentences for ISIS terrorist group members

The Russian embassy in Iraq has filed several appeals against the sentences for Russian female members of the ISIS terrorist group, but the time for consideration of appeals has not yet been set, the embassy’s spokesperson said on Tuesday.

“We filed several appeals on several verdicts, the timing of their consideration has not yet been set. This issue is not a fast one in Iraq. Currently, the sentences are being delivered,” the spokesperson told Sputnik.

According to the embassy, Iraqi courts passed more than 20 sentences to Russian female ISIS members.

“The verdicts are very different, depending on the degree of guilt of a woman: someone is charged with just an illegal border crossing, others — with participation in a terrorist group. They face up to 20 years in prison,” the embassy official said.

Earlier in the day, Iraqi Ambassador to Russia Haidar Hadi said that the women convicted in Iraq for cooperation with terrorists could not serve their sentence in Russia due to lack of a relevant agreement between Moscow and Baghdad. At the same time, he stressed that the Russian embassy in Iraq could appeal verdicts for Russian women.

About 100 women and children have been already returned from Iraq and Syria back to Russia with the assistance of the Chechen authorities. The process was launched after the RT broadcaster filmed in August a Baghdad orphanage housing Russian children, whose parents smuggled them from the country and joined terrorists.

According to the representative of the Chechen leader in the Middle East and Northern African countries, Ziyad Sabsabi, many women were not engaged in terrorists’ activities, were actually taken to Iraq and Syria by their husbands who had been supporting ISIS.

Source: Sputnik