ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An Iraqi court has sentenced three French nationals to life imprisonment for membership in the Islamic State (ISIS), following a separate ruling this week sentencing six other French nationals to life and a seventh to 15 years in prison on similar charges.
The Karkh Criminal Court in Baghdad issued the verdicts "in the presence of their defense attorneys and representatives from the French Embassy in Iraq," the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) confirmed in a statement on Thursday.
The three convicts were among 47 French nationals transferred to Iraqi authorities from northeast Syria (Rojava) in September 2025.
The latest verdicts come two days after the Iraqi court sentenced six other French nationals to life imprisonment and a seventh to 15 years in prison for ISIS membership.
The SJC has classified the seven individuals as “high-risk” suspects, citing their role in threatening Iraqi national security and destabilizing Iraq and Syria, as well as their involvement in inciting terrorist operations in other countries.
France has acknowledged that the penalties imposed on its nationals are provided for under Iraqi criminal law, while emphasizing its respect for Iraq’s sovereignty and the independence of its judiciary.
“We note that the sentences handed down (life imprisonment and a 15-year prison sentence) are stipulated under Iraqi criminal law for the offenses of which these French nationals are accused,” a diplomatic source from France’s Foreign Ministry told Rudaw in a written response.
The source said the French Embassy attended the hearings as an observer and would continue monitoring the proceedings, adding that further trials involving French nationals were scheduled.
According to the source, the hearings demonstrated that the defendants had been informed of the charges against them and given access to the evidence in their respective case files.
“They had the assistance of an interpreter whenever necessary, as well as the opportunity to be defended by counsel of their choice, including a French lawyer,” the source said, noting that French counsel must be accompanied by a lawyer admitted to the Iraqi Bar.
The prosecutions form part of a broader Iraqi judicial effort to process thousands of suspected ISIS members transferred from detention facilities in Rojava.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported earlier this year that more than 5,700 adult male ISIS fighters were relocated to Iraqi custody between January 21 and February 12.
The SJC confirmed in February that Iraq had received 5,704 suspected ISIS members representing 61 nationalities during the US-led transfer operation, with Karkh Central Prison in Baghdad designated as the main assembly facility.
The detainees included 3,543 Syrians, 467 Iraqis, 710 nationals of other Arab countries and 983 foreigners from Europe, Asia, Australia and the United States, according to figures released in August by the National Center for International Judicial Cooperation.
Established by the SJC, the center assumed responsibilities previously held by the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by ISIS (UNITAD), which closed in 2024.
Iraq prosecutes most ISIS suspects under Article 4 of its 2005 Anti-Terrorism Law, which provides for the death penalty or life imprisonment for those who commit, incite, plan, finance or assist terrorist acts.
However, the proceedings have drawn scrutiny from international rights organizations.
In February, Human Rights Watch accused Iraqi authorities of conducting rushed trials of ISIS detainees, raising concerns about due process and alleging that some convictions relied on confessions obtained through torture. The organization also estimated that approximately 8,000 detainees were on death row.
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