Hisham al-Hashimi: Iraq court sentences to death killer of prominent analyst
A Baghdad criminal court has sentenced to death a former police officer convicted of killing prominent analyst Hisham al-Hashimi, a critic of powerful militias whose murder in 2020 sparked anger in Iraq and abroad.
Hashimi, an expert on militant groups and a former government adviser, was shot dead outside his home by gunmen on a motorcycle in Baghdad.
Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council said in a statement on Sunday that "a death sentence has been issued against the criminal Ahmed Hamdawi Oueid [al-Kenani] for the murder of security expert Hisham al-Hashimi".
It said Kenani, a 36-year-old police lieutenant, was sentenced under Iraqi counter-terrorism laws and he could appeal the ruling.
Media were not allowed access, but a lawyer who attended the court session said that Kenani did not say anything in the court in response to the judge's ruling, according to Reuters.
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Hashimi's family supported the ruling but expressed concern that it could be overturned on appeal.
The well-respected academic was popular with many anti-government Iraqis and his killing sparked outrage and created a climate of fear among activists in Iraq. The murder was also condemned by several Western countries and the United Nations.
Hashimi had advised the US-led coalition during its years-long battle against the Islamic State (IS) militant group.
A year after his death, then Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi said the culprits, including Kenani, had been arrested.
State television aired Kenani’s confession shortly after, where the alleged mastermind of the attack said he shot Hashimi with a pistol.
Kenani was a supporter of the armed group Kataeb Hezbollah, one of the Iran-backed paramilitaries that the academic had frequently criticised.
Hashimi, who had thrown his support behind the anti-government demonstrations that broke out in 2019, reportedly received multiple threats from armed groups.
A series of killings, attempted murders and abductions targeted dozens of activists in Iraq in the aftermath of the protest movement.
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