Dutch court convicts woman for spreading Isis propaganda

Defendant distributed large amounts of propaganda via Telegram messaging app in 2019

Men identified as Islamic State group fighters who surrendered to Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in February 2019 (AFP/Getty Images)

A Dutch court has convicted a 32-year-old woman for spreading Isis propaganda.

The Hague District Court ruled that Isis is a criminal organisation with the aim of committing war crimes and jailed the woman for six years for disseminating material from her home near Amsterdam.

The woman's sentence was double the three years originally demanded by prosecutors, with judges saying the sentence request was "far too low".

The woman, whose name was not released in line with Dutch privacy rules, distributed large amounts of Isis propaganda via the Telegram messaging app in 2019.

She shared two videos of prisoners of war being killed and provided her own "humiliating" commentary for one of the executions.

By doing so, "she abused the personal dignity of the deceased people and that is a war crime", the court said.

It added that she incited others to commit terrorist crimes and war crimes, trained herself and others to make bomb vests and sent money to people involved in terrorist activities.

Spreading propaganda made her "part of this terrorist organisation that is guilty around the world of attacks and spreading fear", the court said in a statement.

As well as the six-year-sentence, she was ordered to undergo compulsory psychological treatment. The court heard that the defendant suffered from a what the court called a "psychological impulse disorder”.

Additional reporting by AP