BAGHDAD: Iraq’s highest court ratified death sentences on Thursday for three men convicted of a 2010 attack on a Syrian Catholic cathedral in Baghdad, the bloodiest attack on Iraqi Christians after the 2003 invasion.
Gunmen linked to al Qaeda seized hostages during Sunday mass at the Our Lady of Salvation church in Baghdad on Oct. 31, 2010. Around 52 hostages and police were killed and 67 wounded in the attack, which ended when security forces stormed the church.
Al Qaeda’s Iraqi affiliate, Islamic State of Iraq, claimed responsibility for the attack.
‘There are three convicted criminals. All of them are Iraqis and they were convicted based on the terrorism law,’ said Abdul-Sattar al-Birqdar, spokesman for the Supreme Judicial Council.
‘The sentence is final and it will be sent to the presidency to issue a decree to the Justice Ministry to execute it.’
Last week, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay criticised Iraq for carrying out a large number of executions and questioned the fairness of its judicial proceedings. On Wednesday, Iraq executed 17 people.
While most of the sectarian fighting that followed the 2003 US-led invasion was between Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims, attacks on Christians in Iraq have increased in recent years. (Reuters)