An Iraqi court sentences 7 French citizens to lengthy prison terms over Islamic State membership
The court said the men were highly dangerous and cited threats to Iraqi security and attacks abroad.
- On Tuesday, the Karkh Criminal Court in Baghdad sentenced seven French nationals to life imprisonment and a seventh to 15 years for Islamic State membership, a Reuters witness confirmed.
- These individuals were among 47 French nationals transferred from detention facilities in Syria to Iraq last year under a relocation arrangement coordinated by The United States and Iraqi authorities.
- Describing the group as "highly dangerous," the court stated their activities threatened Iraq's national security; the judge opted for life imprisonment rather than the death penalty because defendants were young.
- Defense lawyer Abbas al-Maliki announced the group will appeal the verdict in the Court of Cassation, challenging the sentences through Iraq's appellate process.
- Islamic State seized parts of Iraq and Syria in 2014 before a US-led coalition drove them from their caliphate in 2019, though remnant militants continue operating in the region.
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The Toronto Star
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Iraq sentences seven French nationals to prison for belonging to Islamic State
The men were deemed "particularly dangerous because of their role in threatening Iraq's national security, destabilising Iraq and Syria, and their involvement in inciting terrorist operations in other countries," a court statement said.
Some 47 French jihadists transferred from Syria to Iraq last year are currently being tried for membership of the Islamic State group. Six of them were sentenced this Tuesday to life imprisonment. - Trial of jihadists in Iraq: six French people sentenced to life imprisonment (International).
The court “commuted the death penalty to life imprisonment, since you are young, in order to give you a chance in the future to rebuild your life,” the judge told the defendants
An Iraqi court has sentenced seven French citizens found guilty of terrorism and links to the Islamic State (IS). Six were sentenced to life imprisonment and one to 15 years in prison. These seven were among 47 French citizens previously detained in Syria and extradited to Iraq last year for trial.
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