Iraq sentences four Iraqi IS fighters to death for crimes in Syria

Iraq on Sunday sentenced four Islamic State group members to death, the first such sentence for hundreds of Iraqi extremist fighters repatriated in recent months from Syria.

Iraq's terrorism courts began preparing trial procedures against nearly 900 Iraqis accused of joining IS earlier this month, where Kurdish-led forces cleared IS fighters out of their last remaining territory last month.

The suspected fighters had been caught by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) trying to flee territory formerly held by IS in Syria, and handed over to Iraqi authorities.

Four Iraqis "accused of belonging to Daesh (IS) and carrying out crimes against innocent civilians in order to destabilise Iraq and Syria" were sentenced to death by hanging, Iraq's judiciary announced on Sunday.

The sentence is the first of its kind for accused jihadi fighters from Iraq who were caught in Syria. Baghdad has already tried thousands of its nationals arrested on home soil for joining IS and sentenced hundreds of them to death.

The country is in the top five "executioner" nations in the world, according to Amnesty International.

The number of death sentences handed down by Iraqi courts more than quadrupled from 65 in 2017 to at least 271 last year.

Fewer were actually carried out, though, with 52 executions in 2018 compared to 125 in 2017.

Additional Iraqi suspects are in SDF custody and are awaiting repatriation to Iraq.

Some of those suspects were "very influential leaders" in the extremist group, a security source told AFP earlier this month.

Iraq has also tried hundreds of foreign IS members, condemning many to life in prison and others to death. No foreign IS members have been executed yet.

Among those awaiting trial in Baghdad are 12 accused French IS members, who were caught in Syria and transferred to Iraqi custody in February.

Baghdad has offered to try all foreign fighters in SDF custody - estimated at around a thousand - in exchange for millions of dollars, as their home countries continue to be reluctant to repatriate them.

Human Rights Watch and other rights groups have criticised these trials, which they say often rely on circumstantial evidence or confessions obtained under torture.