French Court Jails Three Women Who Joined Islamic State in Syria

French Court Jails Three Women Who Joined Islamic State in Syria
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A French court on Friday sentenced three French women who traveled to Syria to join the Islamic State (IS) group to significant prison terms, according to France 24. The sentences, ranging from five to nine years, conclude the initial legal proceedings for a group of women recently repatriated from Kurdish-run prison camps in northeastern Syria.

The Paris correctional court convicted the women, all in their early to mid-thirties, of criminal association with a terrorist organization. The stiffest penalty, nine years, was given to a 34-year-old mother of three who married two different jihadists after arriving in 2014. The other women received sentences of seven and five years.

Though the women admitted joining the group’s territory, they minimized their roles, claiming they were focused solely on domestic duties like cooking and childcare. However, the court ruled that their presence was not merely passive, emphasizing that women played a vital role in recruiting and indoctrinating the next generation within the so-called “caliphate.” The three were among the first group of French mothers and children brought back from the camps in July 2022 and were immediately detained upon arrival.