An Iraqi court handed down prison sentences to seven French nationals on Tuesday, following their conviction for membership in the Islamic State group. The Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq imposed life imprisonment, which equates to 20 years under local law, upon six of the defendants: Lakhdar Sebouai, Adel Bou Aoun, Anas Abdul Rahman, Ziad Ahmad, Mehdi Sida, and Benjamin Van Han. The seventh individual, 24-year-old Amza Benabed, received a 15-year prison sentence.
Court officials stated that the seven men were identified as being particularly dangerous due to their roles in threatening the national security of Iraq, destabilizing both Iraq and Syria, and inciting terrorist activities in other nations. Following the verdict, the defendants were granted a 30-day window to file an appeal. Under the Iraqi legal framework, decisions made by criminal courts are subject to mandatory review by the Court of Cassation, regardless of whether a formal appeal is submitted by the convicted parties.
The trial was attended by defense attorneys as well as representatives from the French embassy. These seven individuals were among a group of 47 French citizens suspected of having links to IS. They were previously held in Syria until last year, when they were transferred to Iraq for trial purposes. The Islamic State group famously seized large portions of Iraq and Syria in 2014, establishing a self-proclaimed caliphate that has since lost control of those territories, though active cells remain and continue to conduct periodic attacks.
Iraq is currently managing the detention of thousands of individuals suspected of IS membership. This population includes more than 5,700 detainees moved from north-eastern Syria following outbreaks of conflict in January between Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, the latter of whom had been responsible for guarding detention centers holding jihadist fighters and their families. Concerns regarding potential mass breakouts during these clashes prompted the transfer of the prisoners to Iraq.
While Iraq has historically executed individuals convicted of terrorism, the country does not apply capital punishment to foreign nationals whose home countries do not utilize the death penalty. Iraq’s national security adviser, Qasim al-Aboudi, noted earlier this month that while Baghdad rejected a request from Syria to transfer 4,000 Syrian suspects for trial in Damascus, it remains possible that some detainees could be repatriated to their countries of origin to serve their sentences after their legal proceedings in Iraq conclude. It remains unclear if the convicted French nationals will be sent back to France.
Defence lawyers and representatives of the French embassy were present at the hearing.
Although the organisation lost control of these areas several years ago, it still has active cells that periodically carry out attacks in both countries.
