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Militants get death sentences for killing two Iraqi journalists

The Iraqi criminal court sentenced two militiamen affiliated with Kataib Hezbollah to death for assassinating two journalists in Basra in January 2020.

Iraq protest
Iraqis demonstrate in the southern city of Basra on May 25, 2021, to demand accountability for a recent wave of killings targeting activists. Thousands of Iraqis demonstrated to demand justice over a wave of deadly attacks on pro-democracy activists and journalists. — HUSSEIN FALEH/AFP via Getty Images

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Basra Criminal Court sentenced a second man to death on Nov. 1 for involvement in a death squad that killed multiple Iraqi journalists and activists. Another convict was also sentenced to death a day before for the same crime.

According to Iraqi security officials, Hamza Kadhim al-Aidani and Aqeel Hadi were arrested in early 2021 with other members who worked as part of a “network of 16 people responsible for assassinations.” Photos of the men under arrest were widely circulated today.

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