Key facts
- Six French nationals sentenced to life in prison.
- A seventh French national received a 15-year sentence.
- Defendants convicted of membership in Islamic State.
- Sentences imposed under Iraq's counterterrorism law.
- The men were among 47 French Islamic State suspects transferred from Syria to Iraq.
An Iraqi court on Tuesday sentenced six French nationals to life in prison and a seventh to 15 years after convicting them of membership in Islamic State, a Reuters witness said. The men were among 47 French Islamic State suspects transferred from detention facilities in northeast Syria to Iraq last year. The presiding judge stated the sentences were imposed under Iraq's counterterrorism law for joining the group and spreading fear, adding that the court opted for life imprisonment over the death penalty due to the defendants' youth. A seventh French national, aged 23, received a 15-year sentence. The trial of the French nationals began last month. Islamic State seized large parts of Iraq and Syria in 2014 before being driven out by a US-led coalition and local forces in 2019, though remnants of the group continue to operate.