Irish Lisa Smith sentenced to 15 months in jail for joining ISIS
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – On Friday, the Special Criminal court in Dublin, capital of Republic of Ireland, sentenced ex-member of Irish Defense Forces, Lisa Smith, to 15 months behind bars on charges of joining the Islamic State Organization (ISIS) in Syria.
Smith, a convert to Islam who left the army in 2011, was found guilty of joining the ISIS in Syria between October 2015 and December 2019.
Smith was arrested at Dublin airport on December 1, 2019 with her young daughter.
“She may have been easily led but then displayed characteristics of resilience,” Judge Tony Hunt said.
All reports submitted and the time Smith had spent in camps in Syria were considered, according to Hunt.
The prosecution had established beyond reasonable doubt that she bought a one-way ticket from Dublin to Turkey, crossed the border into Syria and lived in Raqqa, according to the court.
At the time ISIS was controlling vast swaths of Syria and Iraq, and had the power to attract thousands of foreign fighters to fight within the group.
After the defeat of ISIS in Syria in March 2019 by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), along with the US-led Global Coalition, Smith was forced to flee Raqqa and then ISIS last remaining stronghold Baghouz before returning to Ireland.