Two Iraqis sentenced to death over false information leading to killing of 20 people

Dubai: An Iraqi lieutenant colonel and a whistleblower have been sentenced to death by hanging for providing false information that led to the killing of 20 innocent people from the same family, including children, local media reported.

The Babylon Criminal Court, south of Baghdad, issued the verdict yesterday after conducting an investigation into the crime.

On December 31, Iraqi security forces killed 20 people from a single family in a raid on a home in Jableh district in Babil governorate, south of Baghdad. Security forces carried out the raid after reportedly receiving false information about a suspect purportedly living there.

On January 3, the Iraqi judiciary charged 13 people – including 9 state security personnel for their involvement in the Jableh operation and killings. Iraq’s High Judicial Council said in a statement that a relative of one of the victims provided “false information as a result of family disputes.”

Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi also subsequently dismissed senior officers in Babil, including the police chief in Babil governorate and intelligence chiefs in Jableh and Babil, and formed a committee of senior security officials to investigate the massacre.

According to Iraqi news agency, the 18 other defendants are awaiting trial in this case, including members of the security forces.