Latest news with #refugeecamp
Asharq Al-Awsat
3 days ago
- General
- Asharq Al-Awsat
US Citizen Who Joined ISIS in Syria is Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison
A naturalized US citizen who pleaded guilty to receiving military training from the ISIS group was sentenced Monday to 10 years in federal prison. Lirim Sylejmani, 49, engaged in at least one battle against US-led forces after he entered Syria in 2015, according to prosecutors. US District Judge Rudolph Contreras in Washington, D.C., imposed Sylejmani's prison sentence followed by a lifetime of supervised release, said the Associated Press. Sylejmani, who was born in Kosovo and moved to Chicago roughly 25 years ago, pleaded guilty last December to one count of receiving military training from a foreign terrorist organization. In November 2015, Sylejmani and his family flew to Türkiye and then crossed the border into Syria, where he began training with other ISIS recruits, according to prosecutors. They said he was injured in a battle with Syrian forces in June 2016 and was captured with his family in Baghouz, Syria, in February 2019. "The conduct is far more than a single, impulsive act. He chose to jeopardize the safety of his family by bringing them to a war-torn country to join and take up arms for ISIS," prosecutors wrote. 'He is guilt ridden for his actions and the harm he has visited on his family, who remain detained in a refugee camp in Syria living under terrible conditions," his lawyers wrote. "He wishes only to complete his time and find his wife and children, so he can live an average law-abiding life with them.'
The National
3 days ago
- General
- The National
US citizen who joined ISIS in Syria sentenced to 10 years in prison
A naturalised US citizen who pleaded guilty to receiving military training from ISIS was sentenced on Monday to 10 years in federal prison. , 49, engaged in at least one battle against US-led forces after he entered Syria in 2015, according to prosecutors. US District Judge Rudolph Contreras in Washington imposed Sylejmani's prison sentence followed by a lifetime of supervised release. Sylejmani, who was born in Kosovo and moved to Chicago about 25 years ago, pleaded guilty last December to one count of receiving military training from a foreign terrorist organisation. In November 2015, he and his family flew to Turkey and then crossed the border into Syria, where he began training with other ISIS recruits, according to prosecutors. They said he was injured in a battle with Syrian forces in June 2016 and was captured with his family in Baghouz, Syria, in February 2019. "The conduct is far more than a single, impulsive act. He chose to jeopardise the safety of his family by bringing them to a war-torn country to join and take up arms for ISIS," prosecutors wrote. Sylejmani's lawyers say he isn't a 'committed" extremist and doesn't espouse violence. 'He is guilt-ridden for his actions and the harm he has visited on his family, who remain detained in a refugee camp in Syria living under terrible conditions," his lawyers wrote. "He wishes only to complete his time and find his wife and children, so he can live an average law-abiding life with them.'
Associated Press
3 days ago
- General
- Associated Press
US citizen who joined Islamic State in Syria is sentenced to 10 years in prison
WASHINGTON (AP) — A naturalized U.S. citizen who pleaded guilty to receiving military training from the Islamic State group was sentenced Monday to 10 years in federal prison. Lirim Sylejmani, 49, engaged in at least one battle against U.S.-led forces after he entered Syria in 2015, according to prosecutors. U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras in Washington, D.C., imposed Sylejmani's prison sentence followed by a lifetime of supervised release. Sylejmani, who was born in Kosovo and moved to Chicago roughly 25 years ago, pleaded guilty last December to one count of receiving military training from a foreign terrorist organization. In November 2015, Sylejmani and his family flew to Turkey and then crossed the border into Syria, where he began training with other IS recruits, according to prosecutors. They said he was injured in a battle with Syrian forces in June 2016 and was captured with his family in Baghouz, Syria, in February 2019. 'The conduct is far more than a single, impulsive act. He chose to jeopardize the safety of his family by bringing them to a war-torn country to join and take up arms for ISIS,' prosecutors wrote. Sylejmani's attorneys say he isn't a 'committed jihadist' and doesn't espouse violence. 'He is guilt ridden for his actions and the harm he has visited on his family, who remain detained in a refugee camp in Syria living under terrible conditions,' his lawyers wrote. 'He wishes only to complete his time and find his wife and children, so he can live an average law-abiding life with them.'
Al Jazeera
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Al Jazeera
Rohingya refugee artists fighting to keep their story alive
In Cox's Bazar, the world's largest refugee camp, three Rohingya artists are defying cultural erasure. Through painting, music, and photography, they preserve the memory of a people long persecuted in Myanmar. This Talk to Al Jazeera special looks beyond the headlines of displacement and genocide investigations into the creative resistance of a stateless community. As Myanmar continues to deny them recognition, these artists are fighting back with colour, sound, and story, refusing to let their heritage disappear.
