How French courts became Europe's toughest on women returning from IS
In 2026, French courts will focus on trials of women who returned from the Islamic State group. The Paris special criminal court has scheduled 23 trials, with 18 involving female returnees. This marks a significant shift in France's approach to prosecuting women for their involvement in terrorism.
- ▪The Paris special criminal court is dedicating most of its hearings in 2026 to female returnees from the Islamic State group.
- ▪Of the 23 trials scheduled, 18 involve 22 women who returned from the Iraq-Syria region.
- ▪Since March, four women returnees have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from five to 10 years.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
For France's judges and prosecutors specializing in anti-terrorism, 2026 will be the year of women. After five years devoted to cases involving the main jihadist attacks carried out by men on French soil – from the Charlie Hebdo shooting on January 7, 2015, to the murder of teacher Samuel Paty on October 16, 2020, and the deadly November 13, 2015 attacks – the Paris special criminal court is now devoting most of its hearings this year to the female "returnees" from the Islamic State group (IS): women who traveled to Syria to join the group before returning to France. Of the 23 trials scheduled for 2026, 18 involve 22 women who returned from the Iraq-Syria region, four concern men, and only one relates to a planned terrorist attack.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Le Monde (EN).
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