France refuses to repatriate Brittany's notorious female Isis jihadist
The French government says it has no intention to repatriate the daughter of a French policeman from Brittany, who became a notorious jihadist recruiter before being captured in Syria. She will be tried in Syria, the government says.
Female French jihadists arrested in Kurdish-held parts of Syria should face justice there so long as they can be guaranteed a fair trial, the French government said on Thursday.
Debate has been swirling in France over the fate of women who went to Syria to marry Islamist fighters and now find themselves in custody, following a series of defeats for the Islamic State group.
This week Emilie Konig, a 33-year-old Muslim convert from Brittany who became a notorious jihadist recruiter, became the latest of a string of European women to plead publicly to be repatriated.
But French government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux indicated Thursday that there were no plans to bring her home.
If "there are legal institutions capable of guaranteeing a fair trial assuring their right to a defence", women arrested in Kurdish-held Syria should be "judged there", Griveaux told RMC radio.
"Whatever crime may have been committed -- even the most despicable -- French citizens abroad must have a guaranteed right to a defence," he added.
"We must have confirmation of that."
La djihadiste française la plus recherchée du monde, #EmilieKonig, arrêtée en #Syrie et placée dans un camp de réfugiés par les forces kurdes, veut rentrer en France ! #Daechhttps://t.co/91sSRIdEpF pic.twitter.com/3JC4rMNL9D
— Journal Présent (@journalPresent) January 3, 2018
Konig, who features on UN and US blacklists of dangerous militants, was arrested in early December and is being held in a Kurdish camp with her three
young children along with several other French women.
"They have been arrested, and as far as we know they did not surrender of their own accord," Griveaux said. "They were arrested in combat."
Konig's lawyer Bruno Vinay argued Wednesday that France must repatriate her under its "international commitments".
Esta noche en el programa @GD_RNE @rne dirigido por @CarlesMesa estará @GazapoLapayese, director de @InterSecurObser, para analizar el caso de la @terrorista #EmilieKonig y los procesos de #captación #yihadista en #RedesSociales. Se expondrá que #EmilieKonig no es un caso aislado pic.twitter.com/BYw8AFBO2t
— I.S.O. (@InterSecurObser) January 3, 2018
A policeman's daughter who converted after meeting her first husband, Konig set off for Syria in 2012, leaving her first two children in France to join
her new partner, who was later killed.
She frequently appeared in propaganda videos and French intelligence intercepted messages to her contacts at home urging them to attack French
institutions or the wives of soldiers.
Some 30 French jihadists, both men and women, are currently in the custody of Kurdish and Iraqi forces, according to a source close to the investigation.
In October, around 20 families wrote to President Emmanuel Macron urging him to bring their daughters home to face the courts in France, warning they
could face torture or death if left in Syria or Iraq.
Of some 5,000 EU jihadists believed to have gone to fight, around a third have returned home, according to the Soufan Center, a US-based NGO that
conducts research on global security.
So far, France, Germany and Britain have tackled returnees on a case-by-case basis.
In France, rightwing politicians have come out firmly against repatriation, saying such women chose to betray their country and should be left to their fate.
Comments
See Also
Female French jihadists arrested in Kurdish-held parts of Syria should face justice there so long as they can be guaranteed a fair trial, the French government said on Thursday.
Debate has been swirling in France over the fate of women who went to Syria to marry Islamist fighters and now find themselves in custody, following a series of defeats for the Islamic State group.
This week Emilie Konig, a 33-year-old Muslim convert from Brittany who became a notorious jihadist recruiter, became the latest of a string of European women to plead publicly to be repatriated.
But French government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux indicated Thursday that there were no plans to bring her home.
If "there are legal institutions capable of guaranteeing a fair trial assuring their right to a defence", women arrested in Kurdish-held Syria should be "judged there", Griveaux told RMC radio.
"Whatever crime may have been committed -- even the most despicable -- French citizens abroad must have a guaranteed right to a defence," he added.
"We must have confirmation of that."
La djihadiste française la plus recherchée du monde, #EmilieKonig, arrêtée en #Syrie et placée dans un camp de réfugiés par les forces kurdes, veut rentrer en France ! #Daechhttps://t.co/91sSRIdEpF pic.twitter.com/3JC4rMNL9D
— Journal Présent (@journalPresent) January 3, 2018
Konig, who features on UN and US blacklists of dangerous militants, was arrested in early December and is being held in a Kurdish camp with her three
young children along with several other French women.
"They have been arrested, and as far as we know they did not surrender of their own accord," Griveaux said. "They were arrested in combat."
Konig's lawyer Bruno Vinay argued Wednesday that France must repatriate her under its "international commitments".
Esta noche en el programa @GD_RNE @rne dirigido por @CarlesMesa estará @GazapoLapayese, director de @InterSecurObser, para analizar el caso de la @terrorista #EmilieKonig y los procesos de #captación #yihadista en #RedesSociales. Se expondrá que #EmilieKonig no es un caso aislado pic.twitter.com/BYw8AFBO2t
— I.S.O. (@InterSecurObser) January 3, 2018
A policeman's daughter who converted after meeting her first husband, Konig set off for Syria in 2012, leaving her first two children in France to join
her new partner, who was later killed.
She frequently appeared in propaganda videos and French intelligence intercepted messages to her contacts at home urging them to attack French
institutions or the wives of soldiers.
Some 30 French jihadists, both men and women, are currently in the custody of Kurdish and Iraqi forces, according to a source close to the investigation.
In October, around 20 families wrote to President Emmanuel Macron urging him to bring their daughters home to face the courts in France, warning they
could face torture or death if left in Syria or Iraq.
Of some 5,000 EU jihadists believed to have gone to fight, around a third have returned home, according to the Soufan Center, a US-based NGO that
conducts research on global security.
So far, France, Germany and Britain have tackled returnees on a case-by-case basis.
In France, rightwing politicians have come out firmly against repatriation, saying such women chose to betray their country and should be left to their fate.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.