Iraqi Court Imposes Life Sentences on Three More French ISIS Members

An Iraqi court on Thursday handed down life sentences to three additional French nationals for their involvement with ISIS, bringing the total number of French citizens convicted this week to 10. The Karkh Criminal Court in Baghdad issued the sentences under Iraq’s anti-terrorism law. In Iraq, a life sentence is legally defined as 20 years imprisonment and is automatically reviewed by the Court of Cassation within 30 days.

These verdicts follow the sentencing of seven other French nationals by the same court on Tuesday. These rulings were the first in a mass trial involving 47 French citizens who were transferred from north-eastern Syria to Iraq in July 2025. On Tuesday, six men received life terms, while one was sentenced to 15 years.

Presiding over the hearings, Judge Mohammed Salman informed each defendant, "The court found that the evidence is sufficient to convict you." He added, "The charge carries the death penalty, but because you are a young man at the beginning of your life, I have decided to give you a chance to reform yourself and change the course of your life." Court-appointed defense lawyers and representatives from the French embassy were present during the proceedings.

Among those sentenced on Thursday was Charly Sun Raymond, 32, of Vietnamese origin, who adopted the name Abu Sufyan Al Faransi during his time with ISIS. During his hearing on Tuesday, Raymond stated he had no intention of traveling to Syria, claiming he was on holiday in Turkey at his sister's invitation. He explained that his sister, who converted to Islam in Paris in 2011, was in a relationship with a man in Syria who persuaded her to join him, and they traveled to the Turkish city of Urfa. Raymond asserted he only crossed the border to accompany her and then return, but ISIS militants convinced him to remain in Syria. He then enrolled in a two-week Sharia course, which he did not understand as it was in Arabic, and pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi.

Raymond initially joined the Islamic police and later the Diwan Al Jund, where he was assigned to military posts in the northern countryside and later in Raqqa. He denied intelligence reports identifying him as a sniper. Subsequently, he was transferred to a civilian prison for detainees accused of minor offenses like smoking and theft. He received a monthly salary of $100, married in Syria, had two children, and sustained an injury to his left hand in an air strike. His testimony was challenged multiple times during the hearing. When he claimed to have been arrested in Baghouz while attempting to flee, Judge Salman interjected, stating, "You took part in Baghouz fights in 2019 and you were injured." Raymond was also confronted with evidence of extremist ideology found on his phone in France and videos supporting terrorist organizations. He maintained he had abandoned ISIS in 2017 but stayed in Syria for his sister. The court noted that an ISIS data sheet identified him as a "Mujahid." He pleaded guilty, telling the court, "I am remorseful. This is something that happened in the past and I cannot fix it. For eight years my mind was brainwashed; now everything is clear."