Swiss Federal Supreme Court said on Wednesday that it had rejected an appeal by an Iraqi paraplegic man sentenced for cooperation with the Islamic State terrorist group (IS, banned in Russia).
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th August, 2018) Swiss Federal Supreme Court said on Wednesday that it had rejected an appeal by an Iraqi paraplegic man sentenced for cooperation with the Islamic State terrorist group (IS, banned in Russia).
In March 2016, a Swiss court convicted wheelchair-bound Osamah M. alongside two fellow Iraqis for supporting IS in Switzerland and plotting terrorist attacks. In March 2017, the Federal Supreme Court reduced his sentence by a year after an appeal, and the man was released from prison after serving out his time the same month. The man then filed another appeal, contesting the gravity of his crimes and claiming that media coverage of the trial affected the verdict, as the large security presence outside the court had allegedly given the impression of him as of a dangerous criminal.
"The Federal Court upholds the imprisonment of three years and eight months for an Iraqi man who was active as a member of the 'Islamic State' terrorist organization," the court said in a press release.
It explained that the complainant had failed to provide sufficient proof of prejudice by the media coverage of his case and its influence on the trial.
The court also considered that the classification of the crime as serious, as well as the punishment, was fair and did not violate federal law.
The man, dubbed the "wheelchair bomber" by Swiss media, has joined IS ranks in Iraq in 2004. He arrived in Switzerland in 2012 and obtained asylum, posing as a victim of the Syrian civil war.
