Najaf court sentences 2-10 years for human organ trafficking

Shafaq News / A judicial source reported on Sunday that the Najaf Criminal Court has sentenced two individuals to 10 years in prison and imposed a fine of one million Iraqi dinars (about $760) for their involvement in human organ trafficking.

The source told Shafaq News that the convicted individuals “were engaged in buying and selling human organs, specifically kidneys, through social media pages they had created to promote their illicit activities.”

The operation also involved collaborating with intermediaries in Arab and regional countries.

In July, the Federal Intelligence and Investigations Agency announced the arrest of an international organ trafficking network in Najaf governorate.

At the time, the agency released a statement saying, "The specialized organized crime units of the Intelligence Agency in Najaf obtained precise intelligence indicating the involvement of suspects with connections to neighboring countries in trafficking human organs (kidneys) for financial gain."

The statement added that “a specialized intelligence team was immediately formed, leading to the arrest of three suspects from the network after obtaining proper legal approvals. During interrogation, the suspects confessed to being part of an international organ trafficking network, admitting to receiving financial payments for their illegal operations.”

The Iraqi government has recently intensified efforts to combat human trafficking. A recent report highlighted that trafficking committees from the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) identified 158 victims, including cases of sexual exploitation, forced labor, and foreign nationals. Increased arrests have been reported, with 636 suspects detained in 2023, compared to 129 in the previous year.