An Iraqi court Sunday jailed a French woman for 20 years for belonging to the Islamic State group as her lawyers accused authorities in Paris of "interference" to prevent her returning to France. Melina Boughedir, a mother of four, was sentenced last February to seven months in prison for "illegal" entry into the country, and was set to be deported back to France.
But another court ordered the re-trial of the 27-year-old French citizen under Iraq's anti-terror law. On Sunday she was found guilty of membership of IS and handed a life sentence - which in Iraq is equivalent to 20 years. "I am innocent," Boughedir told the judge in French. "My husband duped me and then threatened to leave with the children" unless she followed him to Iraq, where he planned on joining IS, she said. "I am opposed to the ideology of the Islamic group and condemn the actions of my husband," she added.
Her Iraqi lawyer, Nasureddin Madlul Abd, urged the court to acquit Boughedir, describing her spouse as a "jailkeeper not a husband" who had "forced" her to join him in Iraq. Her French defence team - William Bourdon, Martin Pradel and Vincent Brengarth - said they were "relieved" she had been spared the death penalty, but vowed to appeal the verdict.
In Paris, the foreign ministry said France respected sovereign Iraqi justice. "We note that the judicial procedure is not over," the ministry told AFP. "France will continue to respect the sovereignty of Iraqi jurisdiction and the independent judicial proceedings." Boughedir, who wore a black dress and headscarf, arrived in the courtroom carrying her youngest daughter in her arms. Her three other children are now back in France.