Iraq begins trial of six French nationals accused of ISIS membership

An Iraqi court commenced a trial on Sunday for six French nationals accused of affiliating with ISIS. If convicted, they may face the death penalty, according to Reuters. The court's Supreme Judicial Council member informed the proceedings that the defendants could be sentenced to death for crimes against Iraq and its people.

Reuters sources reported that the six accused were among 47 French ISIS detainees who were transferred from prisons in northeast Syria last year as part of a joint operation supervised by US forces and Iraqi authorities. The French embassy in Baghdad declined to comment on the matter, but a Reuters witness inside the court confirmed that embassy officials were present during the trial.

The six men, who arrived at the court in a prison transport vehicle under guard, are currently being tried under Iraq's anti-terrorism law. They appeared in yellow prison uniforms. The presiding judge adjourned the session until October 5 to provide defense lawyers with sufficient time to examine the case files.

ISIS held significant territories in Syria and Iraq in 2014 before being pushed out by US-led coalition forces five years later. Many ISIS members were subsequently apprehended. In January, the United States announced the initiation of transfers of ISIS detainees from Syria to Iraq due to concerns over the security of detention facilities in northeast Syria following Kurdish forces losing control over parts of the region.

In February, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein disclosed ongoing discussions with other countries regarding the repatriation of their nationals, noting that Baghdad had sought international financial assistance to manage the transfer of prisoners to Iraq.