At the end of October, several French nationals were sentenced to death for links to Islamic State (IS/Daesh). The sentences have been commuted to life imprisonment due to the defendants’ young age and the prospect of rehabilitation.
According to Reuters, on 29 October, three French nationals were sentenced to life imprisonment for membership of the terrorist organisation. On 27 October, six were sentenced to death and one to 15 years’ imprisonment. The sentences of the six were commuted to life imprisonment. The three sentenced on 29 October received life sentences on the same grounds.
Not ‘home’ to France, trial abroad
Those convicted belong to a group of 47 French IS terrorists who, in cooperation with US forces, were transferred from Iraq in 2025 to detention camps in Syria due to security concerns in the Kurdish-controlled areas of the region.
The sentences are a direct consequence of the European export of IS foreign fighters to Syria and Iraq between 2014 and 2017. France was among the European countries that sent the most nationals to the caliphate – estimates range from 1,300 to 1,700 people. Many were killed and the remainder were largely captured when IS was defeated militarily.
🇮🇶 Seven French nationals were sentenced in Baghdad on 27 October for membership of the Islamic State.
Six received life sentences, which under Iraqi law amount to twenty years. The seventh, aged 24, received fifteen years. Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council described them as “particularly…
— The International Freedom Coalition (@IFCoalition) 28 October 2026
Several court cases remain
France has systematically refused to repatriate adult male IS fighters. The authorities maintain that the crimes were committed in Iraq and Syria and that they should be dealt with by the local judicial system. This has been strongly criticised by French human rights organisations. They point to the risk of unfair trials, confessions made under duress, poor prison conditions and the risk of the death penalty. Women and children have, to a greater extent, been brought ‘home’.
Among the 47 IS terrorists are well-known figures such as Adrien Guihal, the man who claimed responsibility for the 2016 terrorist attack in Nice. His case is expected to come to court in the coming weeks or months. Another ‘veteran extremist’, Thomas Barnouin (also known as Abu Ahmed Al Faransi), is expected to be sentenced on 18 November.
