An Iraqi court sentenced prominent Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr to life in prison on Tuesday, in a case that has fueled tensions between the cleric and the government. Al-Sadr, who leads the largest bloc in parliament, was found guilty of charges related to the death of a security officer in 2017. The ruling comes amid ongoing protests in Baghdad and southern Iraq, where demonstrators have called for political reforms and an end to corruption. Al-Sadr, who has a large following among Iraq’s Shia population, has denounced the verdict as politically motivated.
