{
  "id": 7308728,
  "title": "Iraqi butcher gets 10 years for selling pork in holy city",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/iraqi-butcher-gets-10-years-for-selling-pork-in-holy-city",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-14T11:47:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2026/09/14/iraqi-butcher-gets-10-years-for-selling-pork-in-holy-city"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A butcher in the holy city of Najaf, Iraq, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for selling pork that he falsely labeled as beef, according to a ruling by Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council. The court caught the individual with 75kg of pork that he was passing off as beef, a practice that, while contrary to Islamic dietary laws, is not explicitly prohibited by Iraqi law. The city of Najaf, home to a revered Shia Muslim shrine, attracts millions of pilgrims annually. The butcher, who was arrested this month, faced charges under a 1998 law that criminalizes the sale of meat deemed unfit for human consumption. Many residents, including a local named Ahmad al-Mansouri, were caught off guard by the arrest, having previously purchased meat from the butcher believing it to be high quality and inexpensive.",
  "summary": "The man was caught with 75kg of pork that he was selling as beef in Najaf, home to one of the world's most revered Shia Muslim shrines.",
  "key_points": [
    "Iraqi butcher sentenced to 10 years for selling pork labeled as beef",
    "75kg of pork passed off as beef by the convicted individual",
    "Najaf, a holy city, attracts millions of annual pilgrims"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "Iraqi butcher jailed 10 years for passing off pork as beef in holy city of Najaf",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/iraqi-butcher-jailed-10-years-for-passing-off-pork-as-beef-in-holy",
        "published": "2026-09-14T11:31:57.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Iraqi butcher gets 10 years for selling pork in holy city",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/iraqi-butcher-gets-10-years-for-selling-pork-in-holy-city-7311743",
        "published": "2026-09-14T11:47:07.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}