Iraq condemns two more French Daesh members to death

BAGHDAD — A Baghdad court sentenced two more Frenchmen to death on Tuesday for joining the Daesh group, raising the number of French Daesh members on death row in Iraq to six.

Brahim Nejara and Karam El Harchaoui, both in their 30s, were among 12 French citizens transferred to Iraqi authorities in January by a US-backed force fighting the group in Syria. 

The court's decision came despite France reiterating its opposition to capital punishment after a series of similar rulings this week against French citizens handed over to Baghdad.

In recent months, Iraq has taken custody of thousands of extremists, including foreigners, captured in neighbouring Syria by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) during the battle to destroy the Daesh  "caliphate".

Four other French citizens — Kevin Gonot, Leonard Lopez, Salim Machou and Mustapha Merzoughi — have been given death sentences in recent days by a Baghdad court.

Nejara, 33, was involved in Daesh’s foreign fighter operations, according to the French Terrorism Analysis Centre.

He allegedly helped foreign fighters join Daesh in Syria, persuaded one of his brothers to commit an attack in France, and was associated with Foued Mohamed-Aggad, one of the suicide bombers at the Bataclan theatre during the 2015 Paris attacks.

In court, he told the judge "he left from France to Syria in his car in 2014", the year Daesh declared its self-styled "caliphate" and called on supporters around the world to pledge their allegiance.

"My wife, my daughter and my brother-in-law were with me," added Nejara, wearing a yellow prison uniform.

Harchaoui, 32, left for Syria in 2014 from Belgium. According to Belgian daily HLN, his younger brother and their Belgian wives were also Daesh members.

Visibly stressed, he told the judge he was "innocent".

 They have 30 days to appeal.

The remaining six French suspects face trial in the coming days under a law that allows capital punishment for anyone joining a "terrorist group" — even those who did not take up arms.

France has long insisted that its adult citizens captured in Iraq or Syria must face trial locally, refusing to repatriate them despite the risk they could receive death sentences.

On Tuesday Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said he had reminded Iraqi President Barham Saleh that "we are opposed to the death penalty".

The Iraqi judiciary said earlier in May that it had tried and sentenced more than 500 suspected foreign members of Daesh since the start of 2018.