Syria returnees convicted as IS terrorists
Two Syria returnees from Alsdorf near Aachen have been sentenced to suspended sentences as IS terrorists by the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court. A 29-year-old man was sentenced on Wednesday to one year and eight months suspended youth sentence, his 28-year-old wife to one year suspended youth sentence, also suspended, according to a court spokeswoman in Düsseldorf. Both were found guilty of membership of the terrorist organization Islamic State.
They had left Germany in March 2015 to join the terrorist group in Syria. The court mitigated the sentence by taking into account that both defendants had left IS of their own accord after a short time in view of the conditions on the ground. On the other hand, the fact that the defendants had purposefully joined one of the most dangerous and brutal terrorist organizations in the world weighed against them.
The couple had largely admitted the accusations. Their relationship had not been accepted by their families and they had not been given an apartment in Germany, the German Serb who grew up in the Rhineland had testified. "Ideologically, we had nothing to do with IS. I am an apolitical person. Today I'm annoyed at how stupid and naive I was."
"I had a gun in my hand twice, but never fired a shot and never received any military training," the 29-year-old testified. "We realized that our plans were naive." The couple now live in Germany again and have three children. The verdict is not yet final.
The conviction of the Syria returnees as IS terrorists highlights the seriousness with which the German judicial system views processes associated with terrorist organizations. Despite leaving IS due to unfavorable conditions in Syria, their decision to join the brutal terrorist group continues to impact their judgments in court.
Source: www.dpa.com
