(Paris) An Iraqi court today condemned a fourth French citizen to
death for joining ISIS ,the man, 37-year-old Mustafa Mohammed Ibrahim, was
sentenced to death by hanging, a day after three other Frenchmen were given
death sentences for being ISIS members. The French foreign ministry issued a statement following the
judgment that it respected the sovereignty of the Iraqi authorities and that
ISIS members "had to answer for their crimes", but stressed France's
opposition to the death penalty.
"The French embassy in Iraq, in its role as provider of consular protection, is taking the necessary steps to convey its position to the Iraq authorities,"
The other three French citizens sentenced to death on Sunday
were named as Kevin Gonot, Leonard Lopez and Salim Machou. The men are among 13
French nationals caught in eastern Syria and handed to Iraqi authorities in
February on suspicion of being foreign fighters for ISIS. France has long insisted that its adult citizens captured in
Iraq or Syria must face trial locally, refusing to repatriate them despite the
risk of them receiving death sentences. Expect a rash of human right lawyers to shed a load of fake tears. Oh wait, heres what the bBC has to say on the matter:
Human rights groups have heavily criticised the trials of suspected IS fighters in Iraq. Activists say the courts often rely on circumstantial evidence or confessions made under duress.
