Baghdad's Karkh Criminal Court on Wednesday postponed the trial of seven French nationals accused of links to ISIS until November 23, after they were unable to meet with their defense lawyers.
A well-informed source said the court decided to appoint lawyers to represent the defendants and safeguard their right to legal defense. The hearing also included the presentation of their previous confessions, attended by a representative of the French Embassy in Baghdad and privately retained attorneys.
The seven defendants are part of a group of 47 French nationals previously detained by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeastern Syria before being transferred to Iraq, the source explained.
Among the accused is a doctor who had worked at hospitals in Raqqa and other areas formerly controlled by ISIS. Some defendants are also wanted under arrest warrants issued by French authorities and Interpol.
On October 27, the Karkh Criminal Court sentenced six French nationals to life imprisonment and handed a seventh defendant a 15-year prison term after convicting them of ISIS membership. Their lawyers and representatives of the French Embassy attended the proceedings.
Iraqi judicial authorities had begun proceedings against six French suspects on September 20, as part of a group of 47 individuals transferred to Iraq by the SDF in 2025.
