Key facts
- Six French nationals are due to stand trial in Iraq on Sunday.
- The six are part of a larger group of 47 French citizens transferred from Syria last year.
- Adrien Guihal, who claimed responsibility for the 2016 Nice attack for IS, is part of the larger group.
- Iraq has received thousands of suspected IS members transferred from Syria since last year.
- Some human rights groups have criticized Iraq's terrorism trials for lacking due process.
- French lawyers have urged the repatriation of French nationals detained in Iraq, citing concerns about the death penalty.
Six French nationals are scheduled to stand trial in Iraq on Sunday, as the country assumes responsibility for prosecuting thousands of suspected Islamic State group members. Iraq's prisons have received thousands more detainees transferred from neighboring Syria since last year. An Iraqi judicial source confirmed to AFP on Thursday that the six French nationals were slated for trial. Their identities are not yet clear, but they belong to a group of 47 French citizens transferred from Syria in the past year. This larger group includes Adrien Guihal, who has claimed responsibility for the 2016 Nice attack on behalf of IS. The jihadist group had previously swept across Syria and Iraq in 2014. Iraq declared victory over IS in 2017, while the Syrian Democratic Forces defeated the group in Syria two years later. However, Iraq continues to grapple with the aftermath, including mass graves and testimonies of IS brutality. Iraqi courts have issued hundreds of execution orders and life sentences for terrorism offenses, including for foreign fighters. In 2019, 11 French nationals received death sentences that were later commuted to life imprisonment. Some human rights organizations have criticized Iraq's terrorism trials, citing concerns about rushed proceedings and a lack of due process. The repatriation of IS suspects and their families has been a contentious issue in France, which has faced numerous jihadist attacks. French lawyers on Thursday called for the repatriation of the French nationals held in Iraq, warning of potential death sentences. In February, over 5,700 IS detainees from more than 60 countries were transferred to Iraq by the United States, after being held in Syrian prisons under Kurdish-led forces. Among these were at least five French nationals, some of whom were minors when their parents joined IS. Earlier this month, Iraq's judiciary stated that interrogations were complete and the cases would proceed to trial. The judiciary also noted that more than 450 Syrians would be released due to insufficient evidence. In April, Iraq transferred two detained foreigners from Finland and the United States to their home countries after they were cleared of suspicion.