Islamic State: seven French people sentenced to life in Iraq

After a first postponement in September, the French jihadists detained in Iraq since the summer of 2025 were finally judged this Tuesday in Baghdad.

The Al-Karkh Criminal Court handed down life sentences to six French jihadists and a fifteen-year prison sentence to a seventh. They are accused of having belonged to the Islamic State, which at its peak controlled 60,000 km2 of territory straddling Syria and Iraq.

In a press release, the Iraqi High Council of the Judiciary describes the convicts as “very high risk” individuals. All are among the 47 French nationals who were discreetly transferred from northeastern Syria in July 2025, as revealed by the Associated Press in September of the same year. Their French lawyers were recently refused access to Iraqi territory and have mandated Iraqi colleagues to defend their clients.

These jihadists escape the death penalty, a decision which was expected then...