French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Tuesday said France was intensifying diplomatic efforts to prevent four of its citizens being executed in Iraq after they were sentenced to death for belonging to Daesh (ISIS).
An Iraqi court on Sunday sentenced three French nationals to death for joining the militant group, the first Daesh members from France to be sentenced to capital punishment.
On Monday, a fourth French citizen was also condemned to death in Baghdad.
The four have 30 days to appeal.
"We are increasing the steps to avoid the death penalty for these four French citizens," Le Drian said on France Inter radio Tuesday.
"We are opposed to the death penalty ... I myself reminded the president of Iraq, President [Barham] Saleh, of our position," he said, without giving further details.
In recent months, Iraq has taken custody of thousands of jihadists, including foreigners, captured in neighboring Syria by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces during the battle to destroy the Daesh "caliphate."
France has long insisted that its adult citizens captured in Iraq or Syria must face trial locally, refusing to repatriate them despite the risk they face capital punishment for waging their jihadist war in the region.
Le Drian reaffirmed France's refusal to accept any repatriations of its nationals affiliated with Daesh.
"These terrorists – because they are terrorists – who attacked us, who also caused death in Iraq, must be judged where they committed their crimes," he said.
Agencies
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