Medic handed 12 years behind bars in terror-related charges

A medic found guilty of being a member of ISIS and linking youths with other militants in Libya has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Trial Magistrate Martha Mutuku in sentencing Mohamed Abdi Ali aka Abu Fidaa said she considered the eight years he has been in custody as the matter was pending in court.

The prosecution had made certain proposals regarding his sentencing after Fidaa was found guilty of five terrorism related counts.

The counts are; being a member of a terrorist group, organising a meeting in support of terrorist groups and recruitment of members of a terrorist group.

The other two include collection of information and possession of articles connected with the commission of terrorist act. All these carry different sentences.

Principal prosecution counsel Duncan Ondimu had proposed he be given 22 years for being a member of a terrorist group.

The act provides that such a person be sentenced to a period of 30 years but since he has already spent the eight years, the court gives him 22 years behind bars.

For organizing a meeting in support of terrorist groups the prosecution proposed 12 years. The act provides that the sentence should not exceed 20 years.

For Recruitment of members of a terrorist group, to collection of information and possession of articles connected with the commission of terrorist act, he urged the court to give him 56 years.

“Since this was an offence that kept on being committed over a period of time. We pray they will be served consecutively, not concurrently,” he said.

Meaning the sentence should run one after the other and not simultaneously. If the court would have agreed with his proposal, Fidaa would have spent at least 90 years behind bars.

But the trial court only imposed a sentence of 12 years saying it had considered the mitigation and submissions by all parties.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has indicated it will appeal the sentence.