Iraq sentences 16 Turkish women to death for joining Isis
Human Rights Watch condemns court for issuing death penalty for non-violent crimes

A court in Iraq has sentenced 16 Turkish women to death by hanging after they were found guilty of belonging to the Islamic State terror group.
The defendants confessed to marrying Isis fighters or providing the group “with logistical aid or helping them carry out terrorist attacks”, said Judge Abdul-Sattar al-Birqdar. The verdicts are subject to appeal.
The women, said to be aged between 20 and 50, appeared dressed in black at the Central Criminal Court in Baghdad yesterday, the BBC reports. “Four had young children with them,” it adds.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Hundreds of women and children have been detained in Iraq over alleged links to Isis since the Islamist group lost control of its final strongholds in the country last year.
“Many foreign women came - or were brought - from overseas to join the militants,” Reuters reports.
Human Rights Watch has criticised Iraqi courts for handing down death sentences for non-violent crimes, and claims that many women were tricked or coerced into joining the terrorist group.
“In these cases, the women are getting the harshest possible sentences for what appears to be marriage to an Islamic State member or a coerced border crossing,” senior Iraq researcher Belkis Wille said in a statement on the campaign group’s website. “The Iraqi courts need to redirect their priorities.”
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Senior Iraqi judges insist tough sentences are playing a vital role in restoring law and order.
-
Cloudbursts: what are the 'rain bombs' hitting India and Pakistan?
The Explainer The sudden and intense weather event is almost impossible to forecast and often leads to deadly flash-flooding and landslides
-
Atoms into gold: alchemy's modern resurgence
Under the radar The practice of alchemy has been attempted for thousands of years
-
Codeword: August 19, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctions
The Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?
today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designation
The Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law