Trial of French jihadists in Iraq: fifteen to twenty years in prison for seven defendants

Seven French nationals were sentenced in Iraq for their affiliation with ISIS, marking the first verdict in a trial of 47 jihadists transferred from Syria in 2025. Six received life sentences, equivalent to twenty years under Iraqi law, while the seventh was given fifteen years. They were found guilty of belonging to a terrorist group and spreading terror. The judge commuted the death penalty to life imprisonment, citing their youth as a reason for a chance at rehabilitation. Among the group is Adrien Guihal, a veteran jihadist linked to the 2016 Nice attack. Iraq has prosecuted hundreds of alleged ISIS members in recent years.