Reports heard here today on the Arab radio indicate that the death sentences against two Jewish youths charged with “terrorism” in Baghdad have been confirmed by the Iraqi Supreme Court of Appeals and only intervention from the Throne can now save the youths.
The young men, Sholom Saleh Shaban and Yussef Ibrahim Basri were accused of bombing the United States Information Office, connected with the American Embassy in Baghdad, and of placing explosives near Jewish firms. Their trials were marked by confessions obtained by torture and later repudiated. A legal official who normally acts in Baghdad as public prosecutor served as judge while defense attorneys apologized for defending the accused.
The Arab radio announced that the defendants would be found guilty and sentenced to death even before the trial opened. The use of torture was admitted by the court and was employed with the knowledge of the court. Approximately 40 other Jews are either on trial or awaiting trial in Baghdad, it was learned.
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