Iraq court convicts man in kidnapping and death of UK aid worker News
Iraq court convicts man in kidnapping and death of UK aid worker

[JURIST] An Iraqi court Tuesday convicted and sentenced an Iraqi man to life in prison for the 2004 kidnapping and killing of British aid worker Margaret Hassan [Times Online obituary]. Ali Lutfi al-Rawi, allegedly a member of a gang that kidnapped and killed Hassan in Baghdad, pleaded not guilty to the charges. After a hearing in Baghdad's Central Criminal Court, al-Rawi was found guilty [Times Online report] and sentenced to life in prison. Al-Rawi was arrested last year after attempting to extort money from the British Embassy in Baghdad for information regarding the location of Hassan's body.

Hassan, who had Irish, British and Iraqi citizenship, was the director of the Iraq office of Care International [advocacy group], where she worked with combating public health issues. After being kidnapped, a videotape surfaced [JURIST report] that appeared to show her being shot to death. Her body has not been found. In 2006, Mustafa Salman was charged, convicted and sentenced to life in prison for aiding and abetting [JURIST report] Hassan's kidnappers after her personal effects were found in his home.

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