Trial of Six French Nationals Accused of IS Membership Opens in Baghdad

The trial of six French nationals suspected of belonging to the "Islamic State" (IS) group opened in Baghdad on Sunday morning, with the next hearing scheduled for 5 October.

They face the death penalty if they are found guilty of crimes "against Iraq and the Iraqi people."

Their lawyers are calling for them to be repatriated to France, arguing that the proceedings are being conducted too quickly and do not give their clients a proper opportunity to mount an adequate defence.

The suspects were part of a group of 47 French nationals transferred last year from Syria to Iraq, where numerous suspected IS members were already being held.

This group included, among others, the man who claimed responsibility for the Nice attack in 2016.

According to investigators, the six men joined IS after travelling via Turkey and then crossing into Syria. They were arrested by Syrian Kurdish forces between 2018 and 2019 during the collapse of the self-proclaimed "caliphate" of Daesh.

After they were transferred to Iraq last year, Iraqi authorities brought charges against them for membership of a terrorist organisation.

Fighters from the jihadist group carried out massacres in Syria and Iraq in 2014, reducing many women and girls to sexual slavery.

Iraq, backed by US-led forces, declared victory over IS in 2017. Two years later, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said they had also defeated the group in Syria.

Iraqi courts have handed down hundreds of death sentences and life terms to people convicted of terrorist offences, including foreign fighters.

In 2019, 11 French nationals were sentenced to death before their sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.

Last February, more than 5,700 suspected IS members from over 60 countries were transferred to Iraq by the United States after spending several years in detention in Syria.

Iraq also returned two detained foreign nationals in April to their respective countries, one from Finland and the other from the US, after they were acquitted.

Iraqi PM visits France

The opening of the new trial comes a week after an official visit to France by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaïdi.

Al-Zaïdi travelled to Paris on 13 and 14 September to "consolidate the strategic partnership and the ties of friendship between France and Iraq," according to the Élysée.

At the end of the visit, the two nations affirmed "their shared vision for strengthening security and stability in the Middle East, based on respect for national sovereignty, non-interference, good neighbourly relations and territorial integrity."

Paris and Baghdad also called for "respect for international law and the use of diplomatic solutions to address the crises and shared threats facing the region."

The Iraqi PM expressed his thanks to France, conveying "his appreciation" for Paris' continued support to Iraq, particularly in the fight "against Daesh terrorism."

France and Iraq also pledged to step up "their cooperation on security and defence" and their shared commitment to "relentlessly combat terrorism and prevent any resurgence of Daesh, with full respect for each other's sovereignty."