Court Sentences Frenchwoman to 10 Years in Major Terror Plot Case
In a ruling that underscores the enduring legal consequences for those who joined the so-called Islamic State (ISIS), a Paris court has sentenced 30-year-old Carole Sun to 10 years in prison. Sun, the second French woman repatriated from detention camps in northeastern Syria, was convicted of participating in a terrorist criminal conspiracy, marking a significant chapter in France’s ongoing reckoning with returning foreign fighters.
The Journey to Syria and Life Within the “Caliphate”
Carole Sun’s path to the courtroom began in July 2014, at the height of ISIS’s power, when she left France for Syria with her brother. Her life within the terrorist organization placed her at the heart of its brutal regime. The court heard that she knew or lived with “extremely high-profile individuals” known for acts of cruelty or for fighting in units linked to the devastating November 2015 Paris attacks, which killed 130 people.
Her second marriage was to a member of the ISIS intelligence service, a man she once described in a letter to her mother as someone who “kills traitors.” Both her husband and her brother are currently imprisoned in Iraq.
Repatriation, Trial, and a Complex Defense
Sun’s world collapsed with the fall of the ISIS caliphate. She was arrested by Kurdish forces in December 2017 and spent over four years in the Al-Hol detention camp, which she described as a frightening “jungle” where a “moral war” raged even among the children.
Repatriated to France on July 5, 2022, as part of a controversial government effort to bring citizens home, Sun faced justice at a special criminal court in Paris. During her trial, she acknowledged being radicalized online and stated that ISIS ideology had blinded her to the seriousness of the events around her. She admitted to contributing to the group’s propaganda but presented herself as a woman who had traveled with family, raised children in a warzone, and endured the squalor of the camps.
A Symbolic Sentence and a Broader Reckoning
The 10-year sentence reflects the French judiciary’s severe view of her association with the terrorist organization’s core operations, outweighing aspects of her personal narrative. This case is far from isolated. Approximately 60 French women still await trial on similar charges. Since 2017, 30 have been tried by this special court, with others facing proceedings in criminal court. According to the public prosecutor, over one-third of the French women who traveled to the Syria-Iraq region have now been returned.
The sentencing of Carole Sun sends a clear message about accountability. It demonstrates the legal challenges for nations repatriating citizens from conflict zones, balancing security imperatives with complex human stories of radicalization, survival, and alleged complicity. As more repatriated individuals face trial, this case sets a precedent for how justice is administered to those who lived within, and ultimately survived, the ISIS experiment.
Also Read:
US Pressures EU Over Use of Frozen Russian Assets for Ukraine Support
Trump Expected to Speak on Possible Easing of Marijuana Rules This Thursday
