German court rejects Iraqi's appeal over rape, murder of Jewish teen

Federal court upholds life sentence for rejected asylum seeker Ali Bashar, almost two years after shocking killing of Susanna Feldman

BERLIN, Germany — A German federal court said Tuesday it had thrown out a rejected Iraqi asylum-seeker’s appeal against his conviction for raping and murdering a 14-year-old local Jewish girl.

Ali Bashar was sentenced to life in prison by the Wiesbaden state court in July following a four-month trial in a case that fueled tensions over migration.

The court ruled there was a “particular severity of guilt,” meaning that he likely won’t be released after 15 years as is common in Germany.

Bashar, who was 21 at the time of the killing, was convicted of assaulting and murdering Susanna Feldman in Wiesbaden in May 2018.

Roses cover the photo of the 14-year-old Susanna Maria Feldman killed in Wiesbaden, Germany, June 8, 2018 (Boris Roessler/dpa via AP)

Bashar and his family abruptly left a home for asylum applicants in Germany after the killing, and he was later arrested by Kurdish forces in Iraq, handed over to German police officers and flown back to Germany.

Bashar is believed to have arrived in Germany in October 2015.

The Federal Court of Justice said it threw out Bashar’s appeal in an April 28 ruling. Among other objections to his conviction, he had argued that his return from Iraq constituted a “procedural impediment.”