Iran hangs nine convicted jihadists: judiciary
TEHRAN: Iran has executed nine men convicted of plotting to carry out attacks inside the country in 2018 on behalf of the Islamic State group, the judiciary said on Tuesday.
'The death sentences of nine members of the terrorist group Daesh were carried out after confirmation by Iran's Supreme Court,' the judiciary's Mizan Online news outlet reported, using the Arabic acronym for IS.
They 'had planned to carry out terrorist attacks against civilians in Iran', it added.
The nine were arrested following a deadly clash with a Revolutionary Guards patrol on Iran's western border in January 2018.
'This terrorist cell intended to infiltrate Iran and conduct simultaneous attacks in border and central cities,' Mizan quoted Guards ground forces commander General Mohammad Pakpour as saying at the time.
Guards units, supported by intelligence officers, tracked the suspects down and captured them in a deadly exchange of fire in the western mountains in which three officers were killed.
'Some of the terrorists blew themselves up with suicide vests,' Pakpour said. 'Three of our forces were martyred during the operation.'
Equipment seized included machine guns, grenades, thermal cameras and large stockpiles of ammunition.
Judicial officials said the men were charged with waging war against God -- a capital offence in Iran -- through armed rebellion, terrorism and illegal possession of military weapons.
'The defendants were given a fair trial with legal representation and were sentenced based on evidence, confessions and witness testimonies,' Mizan said.
The Tehran Revolutionary Court handed down the death sentences, which were later upheld by the Supreme Court.
'The judiciary's resolve to confront terrorism remains firm,' Mizan said.
Shiite-dominated Iran is a major target for the Sunni extremists of IS. Iran regularly announces arrests of suspected IS members accused of plotting attacks.
On Sunday, police said they had detained 13 suspected members of the group in coordinated raids across four provinces.
Last month, Iran executed a man convicted of spying for Israel.
Iran is the world's second most prolific executioner after China, according to human rights groups including Amnesty International.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
4 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Brazil set to reshape internet law as Supreme Court favours stricter rules on X, TikTok and Meta platform
BRASILIA, June 12 — Brazil's Supreme Court reached a majority yesterday in favor of toughening social media regulation, in a groundbreaking case for Latin America on the spread of fake news and hate speech. The South American country's highest court is seeking to determine to what extent companies like X, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook are responsible for removing illegal content, and how they can be sanctioned if they do not. The judges' final ruling will create a precedent that will affect tens of millions of social media users in Brazil. At issue is a clause in the country's so-called Civil Framework for the Internet—a law in effect since 2014 that says platforms are only responsible for harm caused by a post if they ignore a judge's order to remove it. By Wednesday, six of the court's 11 judges had ruled in favor of higher accountability, meaning sites should monitor content and remove problematic posts on their own initiative, without judicial intervention. One judge has voted against tougher regulation, and four have yet to express an opinion. 'We must, as a court, move in the direction of freedom with responsibility and regulated freedom, which is the only true freedom,' Judge Flavio Dino said during Wednesday's session, broadcast online. Not doing so would be like 'trying to open an airline without regulation in the name of the right of free movement,' he added. Google, for its part, said in a statement that changing the rules 'will not contribute to ending the circulation of unwanted content on the internet.' Coup plot Alexandre de Moraes, one of the court's judges, has repeatedly clashed with X owner Elon Musk and various right-wing personalities over social media posts. The review is taking place in parallel with the Supreme Court trial of far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is alleged to have collaborated on a coup plot to remain in power after his 2022 election defeat. Prosecutors say Bolsonaro's followers used social media to lie about the reliability of the electoral system and plot the downfall of successor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Last year, Moraes blocked X for 40 days for failing to comply with a series of court orders against online disinformation. He had previously ordered X to suspend the accounts of several Bolsonaro supporters. Musk and other critics say Moraes is stifling free speech, and US President Donald Trump's administration is weighing sanctions against the judge, whom Bolsonaro accuses of judicial 'persecution.' Lula, who emerged the victor in the tightly-fought 2022 election against Bolsonaro, is advocating for 'accelerating regulation' of online platforms. — AFP
New Straits Times
6 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Cristina Kirchner: divisive left-winger tainted by fraud
DURING two decades at the forefront of Argentine politics, Cristina Kirchner inspired love and loathing in equal measure, but rarely indifference. She has made several comebacks over the years – even escaping unscathed from an assassination attempt – but may now have come to the end of her political tether. On Tuesday, the country's Supreme Court upheld Kirchner's six-year prison sentence for a graft conviction and confirmed a lifetime ban on her holding public office. The 72-year-old has five days to present herself to authorities for arrangements to be made for serving her sentence. Kirchner was born in 1953 in the small town of Tolosa, just outside the Argentine capital Buenos Aires. The daughter of a bus driver and a housewife, she often played up her lower middle-class roots, though she could never hide her love of luxury brands and travel. She first came to prominence as one half of the ultimate political power couple with husband Nestor. The pair met at university when they were both law students passionate about Peronism – a leftist ideology based on the legacy of former ruler Juan Peron. Nestor Kirchner became president in 2003, serving one term, before Cristina was elected in 2007. They expected to continue their term-for-term tango, but he died of a heart attack in 2010. Together, the couple served a collective 12 years in the Casa Rosada, the pink presidential palace, with Cristina exiting the top office for the last time in 2015. She later served as vice-president to her former chief of staff Alberto Fernandez. To their working-class base, the Kirchners were saviours after Argentina's 2001 economic meltdown and the social unrest that followed the largest debt default in history. They were seen as standing up for the little guy against bullies both foreign and domestic. Addressing supporters outside her party headquarters after the Supreme Court ruling, she depicted her tenure as a golden era, when Argentine workers "had the highest salaries in Latin America and pensioners had the highest pensions." Her two terms, during a commodities boom, were characterised by protectionist trade policies and major investments in social programs and subsidies, which caused public spending to spiral. Under her stewardship Argentina became a regional bastion of LGBTQ rights, allowing gay marriage in 2010 and passing a gender identity law in 2012. For her detractors, however, Kirchner is a corrupt, overbearing interventionist who steered the country toward economic ruin and rampant inflation with her debt-fuelled spending sprees. One of her major critics is incumbent President Javier Milei, whose budget-slashing austerity policies Kirchner has in turn slammed as inhumane. In December 2022, Kirchner was found guilty of fraudulently awarding public works contracts during her time as president in her southern Patagonian stronghold of Santa Cruz. Just months earlier, at a pro-Kirchner demonstration, a man pointed a revolver in Kirchner's face and pulled the trigger. The gun did not fire. On Tuesday, after Argentina's Supreme Court upheld Kirchner's conviction on appeal, and confirmed a six-year prison sentence that she may ask to convert to house arrest given her age. Kirchner has been defiant throughout, accusing the justice system of persecuting Peronism. Just a week ago, she announced she would seek election to the government of Buenos Aires province in September elections. A win would have given her immunity for the duration of her term.
The Sun
7 hours ago
- The Sun
Brazil's top court votes to hold social media platforms accountable for user posts
BRASILIA: Brazil's Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that social media companies must be held accountable for some types of content published by users on their platforms in the country, but details on the decision have yet to be resolved. Six of the 11 Supreme Court judges voted to hold platforms responsible for third-party content seen as illegal, in a decision that could result in fines against social media companies for not removing some users' posts in the country. The decision could impact the business of platforms including Meta's Facebook and Instagram, as well as TikTok, Elon Musk's X and other internet giants, such as Alphabet's Google, in a market of more than 200 million people. Only one justice so far voted to not change the current law on the matter, which says that the companies can only be found responsible for third-party content on their platforms if the firms do not comply with a legal decision ordering the content removal. Writing for the majority, Justice Gilmar Mendes said current Brazilian law represents "a veil of irresponsibility for digital platforms." "Even if they are informed of the occurrence of crimes on their platforms, they (currently) cannot be held responsible for damages caused by keeping this content online, except in the case of a court order," he said. Asked to comment, Meta sent a 2024 statement where it had said that a decision holding platforms responsible could make them "liable for virtually all types of content even without having been notified." In a statement sent before the vote which gave the court a majority, Google said the current Brazilian law regarding social media can and should be improved, "as long as procedure guarantees and criteria are set to prevent legal uncertainty and the indiscriminate content removal." TikTok and a representative of X in Brazil did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The court did not agree on the scope of the decision, such as what types of content would be considered illegal. The court's head, Luis Roberto Barroso, said he will work with the court members to find a consensus. Four judges still need to vote in the trial, which has been rolling over for months. Votes previously cast can still be changed, although that is not common. The trial is set to resume on Thursday.
