An Iraqi butcher has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for selling pork to customers under the guise of beef. The Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq found the man guilty following his arrest in the city of Najaf, home to one of the world’s most revered Shia shrines.
Authorities discovered 75 kg of pork in his possession at the time of his arrest. While Islam forbids the consumption of pork, considering it unclean, Iraq‘s legal code does not explicitly ban its sale in a country with a Muslim majority and a Christian minority.
Legal basis for the verdict
The court issued the sentence based on a 1998 law that criminalizes the sale of meat from dogs, donkeys, or other animals deemed unfit for human consumption.
Source: ANSA
