Court of Appeal upholds ex-soldier Lisa Smith's Islamic State membership conviction
Ireland's Court of Appeal dismissed all grounds of Lisa Smith's appeal against her 2022 conviction for Islamic State membership, ruling that proof of combat or operational acts was not required.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2The Court of Appeal has upheld former soldier Lisa Smith's conviction for membership of the terrorist group Islamic State. The Irish TimesLC “The Court of Appeal has upheld former soldier Lisa Smith’s conviction for membership of the terrorist group Islamic State.” Read at The Irish Times ↗ Irish IndependentRC “Court upholds ex-soldier Lisa Smith’s conviction for membership of terrorist group Islamic State” Read at Irish Independent ↗ Left · 1Judge John Edwards, delivering judgment on Tuesday on behalf of the three-judge court, said the circumstances of her voluntary travel to Islamic State-controlled territory were "properly to be regarded as being capable of constituting sufficient acts of participation". The Irish TimesLC ““properly to be regarded as being capable of constituting sufficient acts of participation”” Read at The Irish Times ↗ Left · 1He said establishing membership did not require proof of combat, military activity or operational acts such as fundraising, training or dissemination of propaganda. The Irish TimesLC ““The establishment of membership did not require proof of combat, military activity or operational acts such as fundraising, training or dissemination of propaganda,” he said.” Read at The Irish Times ↗
Left · 1The court rejected all grounds raised by Smith, and her appeal was dismissed. The Irish TimesLC “The court rejected all grounds raised by Smith and her appeal was therefore dismissed.” Read at The Irish Times ↗ Left · 1In 2022 Smith, now 44, from Dundalk, Co Louth, became the first person convicted in an Irish court of an Islamic terrorist offence committed abroad, when the non-jury Special Criminal Court found she joined Islamic State after travelling to Syria in 2015. The Irish TimesLC “Smith (44) became the first person to be convicted in an Irish court of an Islamic terrorist offence committed abroad”“Smith, from Dundalk, Co Louth, had pleaded not guilty” Read at The Irish Times ↗ Left · 1She had pleaded not guilty to membership of the unlawful terrorist group between 28 October 2015 and 1 December 2019. The Irish TimesLC “between October 28th, 2015, and December 1st, 2019” Read at The Irish Times ↗
Left · 1Her bid to overturn her 15-month sentence had been rejected by the Court of Appeal in 2023, and her conviction appeal was heard last year, when her senior counsel Michael O'Higgins argued she travelled to Syria through "a religious obligation" and carried out no acts as a member of Islamic State. The Irish TimesLC “her senior counsel, Michael O’Higgins, argued Smith had travelled to Syria through “a religious obligation” and had not carried out any acts as a member of Islamic State.”“her bid to overturn her 15-month sentence was rejected by the Court of Appeal in 2023” Read at The Irish Times ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- Straight court report led by the judgment, with the legal reasoning and case background.
- Emphasis
- The court's reasoning that membership needs no proof of combat or operational acts; the defence argument of religious obligation.
- For example
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“The court rejected all grounds raised by Smith and her appeal was therefore dismissed.” — The Irish Times
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- Headline reports the conviction being upheld, describing Smith as an ex-soldier and Islamic State as a terrorist group.
- Emphasis
- The outcome of the appeal.
- For example
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“Court upholds ex-soldier Lisa Smith’s conviction for membership of terrorist group Islamic State” — Irish Independent
What every side reports
- The Court of Appeal upheld Lisa Smith's conviction for membership of Islamic State.
- Smith is a former soldier.
Left1 article
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Court of Appeal upholds Lisa Smith’s conviction for Islamic State membership
Neutral Factual court report quoting the judge and summarising the case history.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right1 article
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Court upholds ex-soldier Lisa Smith’s conviction for membership of terrorist group Islamic State
Neutral Headline-only report that the court upheld the conviction.
- 6 Oct 12:30 First Irish IndependentRC Court upholds ex-soldier Lisa Smith’s conviction for membership of terrorist group Islamic State
- 6 Oct 13:15 +46m The Irish TimesLC Court of Appeal upholds Lisa Smith’s conviction for Islamic State membership
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.