The National reported that Karkh Criminal Court in Baghdad sentenced three French nationals to life Thursday for affiliation with the Islamic State group (ISIS), bringing the outlet’s reported weekly tally to 10.
The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) confirmed a separate ruling on Tuesday, Oct. 27, in which Karkh Criminal Court sentenced six French nationals to life imprisonment and a seventh to 15 years. The council said lawyers and French Embassy representatives attended. It said the seven were among 47 French nationals transferred to Iraqi authorities from northeastern Syria last year. Le Monde reported the handover took place in July 2025. The National’s weekly count pairs its three Thursday cases with the seven sentences the SJC confirmed from Tuesday.
The National named two defendants from the Thursday cases: Charly Sun Raymond, 32, and Kamal Habib Ahmed bin Mubarak, 42. It did not identify the third defendant. At an earlier hearing this week, Raymond told the court, “For eight years my mind was brainwashed; now everything is clear,” The National reported. Mubarak told the court, “I am not only regretful but regretful and upset at myself,” the outlet reported.
In separate legal guidance, the SJC says Article 87 of Iraq’s Penal Code sets a 20-year term for life imprisonment, distinct from a different penalty that lasts for a prisoner’s natural life. The National also described an Iraqi life sentence as 20 years.
Le Monde reported that French nationals sentenced in Iraq in 2019 initially received death sentences, later commuted to life imprisonment. It also reported that the French government declined to repatriate the detainees, arguing Iraq could prosecute them for crimes committed there.
For Thursday’s reported rulings, The National said the Court of Cassation will conduct an automatic review within 30 days. In its report on Tuesday’s verdicts, the Associated Press described a 30-day appeal period alongside separate review by the court.
