美国国家公共电台 NPR At A Makeshift Iraqi Court, Harsh Justice For Those Accused Of Aiding ISIS

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Iraqi forces in Mosul have captured ISIS fighters and also locals accused of supporting them. Many of those alleged¹ supporters end up in a makeshift courthouse in a town just north of Mosul. NPR's Peter Kenyon watched one of those cases.

PETER KENYON, BYLINE²: The Skeikhan criminal court occupies a municipal office building north of Mosul. The court rooms a medium-sized office with light brown paneling and four desks. Judge Muhdi Salah Suleiman left Mosul in 2014 after the city was overrun by ISIS fighters. Now a displaced judge in a displaced court, he adjusts his black robe and addresses the slender man standing³ in front of him, eyes looking at the floor.

MUHDI SALAH SULEIMAN: (Foreign language spoken).

KENYON: The defendant⁴ is Abu Mohammad, a 33-year-old villager from Salahadin Province. The judge tells him he's accused of providing material assistance to ISIS by fixing their cars for money - not making car bombs, but repairing broken down vehicles so ISIS fighters can use them. It's a serious charge, and the judge wants to know how Abu Mohammed pleads.

SULEIMAN: (Foreign language spoken).

ABU MOHAMMAD: (Foreign language spoken).

KENYON: I swear I'm not guilty. I swear it, he says before being led away. The judge has already heard from the defendant's brother, sister and wife, who all told the tale of how the family fled as ISIS forces advanced. They differed on some of the details, but all agreed that Abu Mohammad never helped ISIS. During a break, the wife, Umm Mohammed - NPR agreed not to use their legal name so as not to expose the family to retaliatory⁵ attacks - says she's certain her husband didn't support ISIS in any way.

UMM MOHAMMAD: (Through interpreter) No, no, no. It's not true. He never had any relationship with ISIS. He can't even read or write. He doesn't drive. How can he fix their cars?

KENYON: When the session resumes, defense⁶ attorney Rabah Attiyeh gets his one chance to address the court. His client was arrested roughly a year and a half ago, but this is the first time he's been able to meet him. The court has previously⁷ heard from police that when they arrested Abu Mohammad, he confessed to fixing ISIS vehicles for cash in Mosul.

RABAH ATTIYEH: (Foreign language spoken).

KENYON: Atiyah reads a brief written statement reminding the court that confessions⁹ can be coerced¹⁰ by torture. Minutes later, Abu Mohammad is again standing before the judge. It's not good news.

SULEIMAN: (Foreign language spoken).

KENYON: The judge is sentencing Abu Mohammad to 15 years in jail, minus the year-plus he's already served waiting for trial. He appears to be in shock as he walks stiffly out of court. The judge says he saw no sign of torture and had no reason to doubt the original confession⁸. It's a case that raises questions of due process. It's not clear where the initial allegation against Abu Mohammed came from. He faced a lengthy¹¹ delay between arrest and trial and didn't get to see his attorney until the day of the verdict, but it is at least a state-sanctioned effort in administering criminal justice under trying circumstances.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (Foreign language spoken).

KENYON: There's a shortage of judges, which partly accounts for the long delays. And while they do get their salaries here, there's no money for heating, paper, supplies. All that has to be scrounged for locally to keep the court running. None of these cases involve actual ISIS fighters, either Iraqis or foreigners. The judge says he doesn't know where they wind up, though there's supposed to be a system in place.

It reminds me of a scene in front of the West Emergency Hospital in Erbil recently. A suspected ISIS supporter is hustled¹² out the door in handcuffs, and his intelligence officers ease him into a waiting car. I ask one if he'll be appearing in a courtroom any time soon. He smiles, shakes his head and says, no, I don't think so before they drive off. Peter Kenyon, NPR News, Sheikhan, Northern Iraq.