French jihadists who fought with ISIS in Syria should be tried there, not in homeland

French nationals arrested in Syria as "fighters" of the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) terrorist group should face a trial there rather than be returned to France, an MP and a spokesman for Emmanuel Macron's party has said.


"I'd prefer that they stand trial there," Benjamin Griveaux, who is the member of France’s National Assembly and spokesperson for the En Marche! party told France's RMC – BFMTV media on Thursday. The high-ranking politician, often described as one of the closest allies of president Macron, suggested that while the French government "respects the rights of the defense," it doesn't want French jihadists to return to their homeland.

"If there are judicial institutions today that are able to ensure a fair trial with assured rights of defense, they will be judged [in Syria]," he said, adding that such trials "in compliance with the French legislation" could be conducted in the Kurdish part of the war-torn country.
 (RT)