Convicted Pinay IS member in Kuwait to get legal assistance –DFA

A Filipino woman convicted by a Kuwaiti court for joining the Islamic State jihadist group will get legal assistance from the Philippine government, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Tuesday.
Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose said the DFA is still verifying the report of the Filipino’s conviction, but assured that she will still be provided assistance since she is a Filipino citizen.
“Our embassy is prepared to extend legal and consular assistance to the overseas Filipino worker and make sure that she gets due process and her rights are not violated,” Jose said in a text message to GMA News Online.
The court ruling on the Filipino, who was found guilty on Monday for joining the IS and of plotting attacks in the Gulf state, is not yet final and may still be appealed.
Kuwait officials said she had confessed to being a member of the Islamic State group and of planning to carry out terrorist attacks in the emirate.
She also reportedly told investigators that her husband, who asked her to come to Kuwait to work as a housemaid, was an active fighter with IS in Libya.
Dozens of Filipinos have been reported in the past to have been recruited by the IS, while some have been undergoing training in the militant group’s camps.
However, the Philippine military said it has not received any intelligence report supporting such claims. —KBK, GMA News

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