Belqiss Hafez Fadhel

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A martial law tribunal in June 1991 sentenced the three men and three women to 10 years in prison with hard labor for their “supporting role… in helping to publish the [Iraqi occupation] paper [Al-Nida].” The defendants reportedly were tortured during interrogation. The prosecution did not offer direct evidence to rebut the coercion defense of the accused. Four other staff members—Riyadh Fouad Shaker All, Ahmad Muhammad Hannoun, Zuhra Muhammad Adel Abd al-Khaleq and Lefta Abdallah Menahi—were also sentenced to 10 years in prison for allegedly working at the paper, though it appears that they did not work as journalists.