(AFP) The execution of nine French jihadists on death row in Iraq would be a disgrace for France and leave an “indelible stain” on the mandate of President Emmanuel Macron, a group of prominent French lawyers said Monday.
With controversy growing in France over the sentences handed out to the nine for joining the Islamic State (IS) extremist group, the 40 lawyers urged Paris to keep the men alive, irrespective of their crimes.
A court sentenced two more French citizens to death on Sunday, meaning that nine French jihadists are now at risk of execution in the country.
“We have taken a historic risk, which, if it is realised, will leave an indelible stain on the mandate of Emmanuel Macron,” said the lawyers, who included some of the country’s best known legal professionals such as William Bourdon, Henri Leclerc and Vincent Brengarth.
