A 39-year-old native of Aarhus, Denmark's second largest city, has become the first Dane to be sentenced under a law forbidding entry or residence in certain conflict areas, which passed in 2016.
Danish man Tommy Mørck, who fought Daesh* in the Middle East, has been sentenced to six months' imprisonment for violating a law that bans visiting conflict zones without the authorities' permission, Danish Radio reported. Mørck found the verdict “absurd” and pledged to lodge an appeal.
Between November 2016 and March 2017, Mørck was established to have traveled up to 25 times to the Syrian province of Raqqa to assist in the fight against Daesh alongside the Kurdish militia YPG. Attorney General Jacob Balsgaard Nielsen argued that the YPG's fight against Daesh didn't constitute a mitigating circumstance.
Mørck, 39, denied having done anything wrong. Despite finding the judgment “unsurprising,” the Aarhus native also described going to prison over risking his life in the fight against terrorism as “absurd” and pledged to appeal. At the same time, he said he was happy to receive such a severe punishment.
“Had I received a minor penalty, such as a month's imprisonment, few people would actually be interested in following the case,” Mørck said.
Denmark Imprisons Danish Woman for Fighting Daesh with Kurds
The law that got Mørck put behind bars was introduced in 2016 in order to give Danish authorities the opportunity…
