On Friday, April 25, Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin announced that France will repatriate French Jihadists being held in Iraq. He mentioned that detainees in other countries may also be included in future repatriations. During a question-and-answer session with the Voix du Nord newspaper, Darmanin confirmed that three individuals from northern France, who were initially sentenced to death and later received life sentences in Iraq, will be brought back to France.
“Yes, as is the case for a lot of French detainees in the world, in Iran and elsewhere,”
he stated.
“Nationals must finish their prison sentence in France. I believe that we cannot ask Algeria, Morocco or the United States to take back their nationals… and refuse to bring back French citizens held abroad.”
Darmanin did not provide any specifics regarding the overall process of repatriation. The foreign ministry has yet to comment. Lawyer Maria Dose stated that her client, Djamila Boutoutaou, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in Iraq in April 2018, is “extremely ill and must be repatriated quickly.”
Richard Sedillot, another attorney representing three French citizens sentenced in Iraq, stated that transferring the prisoners would facilitate their “reintegration” into French society.
“Their presence in France also allows French magistrates to question them,”
he argued, mentioning that the trio were involved in other investigations. Sedillot stated that the three were in custody. “disgraceful conditions” and An investigating magistrate was investigating suspected torture against six French nationals confined in Baghdad.
France has been the predominant foreign player in the battle against jihadist forces in West Africa’s Sahel region for more than ten years. France’s intervention against jihadist threats in the Middle East is diverse, relying on military deployments, diplomatic efforts, and assistance in regional stability.
France contributes close to 700 troops to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) as part of its contribution to the maintenance of the ceasefire on the Blue Line between Israel and Lebanon. French troops have recently enhanced their engineering capabilities within UNIFIL to meet changing security requirements.
France’s own military alignment with the Middle East is also partially motivated by the necessity to counter jihadist threats and assist regional partners in their counterterrorism efforts. Coordination with allies, particularly the United States and Gulf nations, is at the core of France’s strategy, assuring interoperability and collective readiness for counterterrorism and crisis response.
