ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The French foreign ministry said on Monday that it would take “the necessary steps” to halt Iraq from carrying out the death penalty on three of its citizens who were convicted of fighting with the Islamic State (ISIS), AFP reported. The agency announced on Monday a fourth French national was sentenced to die by Baghdad.
“France is opposed in principle to the death penalty at all times and in all places,” the foreign ministry said in a statement, but added it "respects the sovereignty of Iraq's institutions.”
The three French men were captured in by Kurdish forces in Syria, and handed over alongside nine other French nationals to Iraqi authorities in February on allegations of ISIS membership.
An Iraqi court sentenced Kevin Gonot, Leonard Lopez, and Salim Machou on Sunday — making them the first French ISIS members to be handed down capital punishment in the country.
“France is opposed in principle to the death penalty at all times and in all places,” the foreign ministry said in a statement, but added it "respects the sovereignty of Iraq's institutions.”
The three French men were captured in by Kurdish forces in Syria, and handed over alongside nine other French nationals to Iraqi authorities in February on allegations of ISIS membership.
AFP reported a fourth French national, Mustapha Merzoughi age 37, was sentenced on Monday to hang to death by the Iraqi judiciary.
"The evidence and the confession show that you joined the Islamic State group, that you worked in its military branch," the judge told him before sentencing, the agency later reported.
The French government has said it would not repatriate its citizens that have joined the ranks of the extremist group, and Paris deemed local authorities responsible for carrying out judgments.
In Monday’s statement however, the French Foreign Ministry said it is providing consular assistance to ensure the detained men have access to legal representation ahead of their expected appeal. The appeal must be filed within 30 days of the sentencing.
Another nine French nationals were expected to be tried in Iraq for terrorism and their alleged support of ISIS.
An estimated 1,700 French nationals are believed to have traveled to Iraq and Syria between 2014 and 2018 to join jihadist groups, according to French government figures. Some 300 are thought to have been killed in the conflict.
Iraq has rounded up thousands of suspected jihadists, and the country’s judiciary recently stated that it has sentenced over 500 suspected foreign members of ISIS since the beginning of 2018. Baghdad has offered to bring the remaining foreign suspects still held by Kurds in Syria to trial, suggesting the foreigners’ countries of origin pay $2 million per person tried.
International watch groups, including Human Rights Watch, have criticized Iraqi anti-terror trials, which they allege rely on confessions obtained through torture and circumstantial evidence.
The international community, especially Western governments, is worried about the security concerns of bringing ideologically-driven jihadists home, especially when they may not have the evidence to get convictions in a court of law.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) captured more than 1,000 foreign ISIS fighters and thousands of their wives and children. Some 9,000 foreigners were being housed in al-Hol camp as of April.
The SDF are the partnered ground force of the US-led international anti-ISIS coalition. The Kurdish-led group repeatedly has said it lacks the resources to hold the prisoners for an extended period of time, let alone hold trials.
The United States called on coalition members in February to repatriate its nationals in order to free up SDF resources.
The Netherlands has proposed for ISIS foreign fighters to be tried in the region. Sweden will host a meeting on June 3 among international countries to discuss the possibility of the establishment judicial tribunal, preferably in the Middle East.
Update: 2:04 p.m.
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