An Iraqi court sentenced six French citizens to life in prison and a seventh to 15 years in prison for belonging to the extremist Islamic State (EI), according to the Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq.
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27/10/2026
by
Lusa
Uin the Iraqi court today sentenced six French citizens to life imprisonment and a seventh to 15 years in prison for belonging to the extremist group Islamic State (EI), the Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq announced.
Sentences were handed down by the Karkh Criminal Court in Baghdad, according to a statement from the judiciary issued by the Iraqi news agency INA.
The seven defendants appeared before the court accompanied by their lawyers and representatives of the French Embassy in Iraq.
According to the statement, the convicts were classified as “extremely dangerous” due to their alleged involvement in activities that threatened Iraqi national security and contributed to the destabilisation of Iraq and Syria.
The judicial authorities have also given them responsibilities in inciting terrorist operations in other countries.
The seven French were part of a group of 47 French citizens transferred last year to the custody of the Iraqi authorities, after being detained in northeastern Syria, in facilities controlled by the Kurdish forces.
The case was initially investigated by the First Karkh Instruction Court, which decided to refer the defendants to trial in accordance with Iraqi legal procedures.
Iraq has been judging national and foreign citizens accused of belonging to the IS, an extremist organization that has managed to control vast areas of Iraqi and Syrian territory.
In April, an Iraqi court sentenced 11 people to death for terrorism and belonging to the IS, accused of integrating a cell that was preparing attacks against state institutions.
In the same month, another accused was sentenced to death for belonging to the extremist organization and planning attacks against the security forces.
In September, Iraqi authorities announced that they would individually negotiate the fate of more than 5,700 prisoners of the Islamic State from 42 countries transferred to Iraq from nearby Syria.
The process of transferring these detainees began in January, on the initiative of the United States.
The fate of the foreign EI fighters remains a complex judicial and diplomatic issue involving the countries of origin of the detainees and the Iraqi authorities.