Albanian court has handed down sentences to nine women repatriated from Syria, who were wives of ISIS fighters, accused of "participation in a terrorist organization" and "participation in military activities in a foreign state."
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| Albanian women linked to ISIS walking out of the courthouse |
Judge Rudina Palloj accepted prosecutor Elida Kaçkini's request and found all nine defendants guilty, sentencing each to 7 years in prison. With the application of expedited trial procedures, the sentence was reduced to 4 years and 8 months of imprisonment.
Meanwhile, the Special Prosecutor's Office sought the suspension of the sentence for each woman and their placement on probation for 5 years. Additionally, upon Kaçkini's request, the court ordered the removal of security measures preventing the defendants from leaving the country.
Furthermore, it was ordered that the 9 individuals not associate with anyone who has been investigated or convicted of such criminal acts, nor frequent environments with individuals holding radical views.
During the period of 2013-2014, the nine women left for Syria, following their husbands who went to fight alongside Al Nusra and later for ISIS.
According to investigations by the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, it was found that all the defendants willingly joined the two terrorist organizations in Syria.