Three French nationals sentenced to life in Iraq for terrorism
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Sowetan
An Iraqi court sentenced three French nationals to life imprisonment for belonging to the Islamic State. They are among 47 French nationals transferred from detention centres in north-eastern Syria to Iraq, according to a judicial statement cited by Reuters.
An Iraqi court sentenced three French nationals to life imprisonment for belonging to the Islamic State (IS) during a hearing on Thursday, the court said in a statement cited by Reuters. Their lawyers and representatives of the French embassy attended the hearing.
The three men are part of a group of 47 French IS suspects transferred last year from detention centres in north-eastern Syria to Iraq. On Tuesday, six other French nationals from the same group were sentenced to life imprisonment and a seventh to 15 years in prison for belonging to the jihadist organisation.
IS seized vast territories in Iraq and Syria in 2014 before being driven out in 2019 by a US-led coalition and local forces. Cells belonging to the organisation nevertheless continue to operate. The United States announced in January that it would complete the transfer of IS detainees from Syria to Iraq, amid concerns about the security of centres controlled by Kurdish forces.
The new sentence follows that of six French nationals sentenced to life imprisonment in Iraq, handed down on 27 October.
