(Kurdistan 24) A former commander of the Turkish-backed Ahrar al-Sham Islamist group has been sentenced to six years in prison in the Netherlands for war crimes and membership in a terrorist organization.
The Dutch Public Prosecution earlier demanded a 10-year sentence, but a court on Wednesday ruled that the man, whose full name was not released, be sentenced to six years in prison.
The court said there was evidence that the 31-year-old man, identified by Dutch media as Al Y or Ahmad Al Y, was part of the Syrian group Ahrar al-Sham from March 1, 2015, until November 10, 2015, and involved in terrorism.
(It is common for Dutch media to refer to a suspect by their initials, although Dutch law does not prohibit publication of a defendant’s full name.)
