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French Court Jails ISIS Women Who Took Eight Children to Syria; Paris Attack Propagandist's Niece Among Those Convicted-Three women who joined the Islamic State in Syria, including the relative of the notorious Clain brothers, have been sentenced to over a decade in prison by a Paris court, highlighting the complex issue of returning jihadist family members.
A French court in Paris has delivered severe prison sentences to three French women for travelling to the Middle East and joining the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria, taking a total of eight young children with them. The sentencing marks a significant development in France's efforts to prosecute returning members of the jihadist group.
The Convicted Women and Their Sentences-The three women, all French nationals, were convicted on charges related to belonging to a terrorist group. Key details about them and their sentences are:
Christine Allain, 67, Mother-in-law to Clain and Duhart,13 years.
Jennyfer Clain, 34,Niece of Fabien & Jean-Michel Clain, 11 years 4 (Fifth born in Raqqa)
Mayalen Duhart 42 Sister-in-law to Jennyfer Clain 10 years 4 (One born there, deceased)
The court proceedings and snippets from associated trials indicate that Jennyfer Clain is the niece of the infamous Fabien and Jean-Michel Clain, who publicly claimed responsibility for the deadly November 13, 2015 Paris attacks on behalf of IS. The Clain brothers, who are of RĂ©unionnais ethnic origin (from the French island of RĂ©union), are presumed to have died in Syria during the military campaign to defeat the IS caliphate in 2019.
Christine Allain is the mother-in-law to both Jennyfer Clain and Mayalen Duhart, and she was described during the trial as one of the principal instigators of arranged marriages between her own sons (Thomas Collange and Kevin Gonau) and the two younger women. This places her as a deeply radicalised figure and likely explains her status as the oldest and most heavily sentenced of the three.
While the specific ethnic identities of Mayalen Duhart and Christine Allain are not detailed beyond being French nationals, their connection to the Clain family highlights the spread of radicalisation through tight-knit, often converted, circles in France.
Remorse and Responsibility in Court
All three women were convicted for travelling to the region starting around 2015, where IS had seized large swaths of Syria and Iraq.
During the trial, the women expressed strong remorse, a sentiment often viewed with scepticism by French authorities, but one that appeared to be accepted in part by the court.
Jennyfer Clain offered her "deepest and most sincere apologies" to all "direct and indirect victims" of the jihadists. She also wept as she apologised to her five children, who have been in foster care since their repatriation to France in 2019, admitting she had "failed in her role as a mother."
Mayalen Duhart also took full responsibility, stating, "I am not a victim. The victims are the others, those who were tortured and massacred by the organisation I belonged to." Duhart tragically lost one of her children, born in the IS capital of Raqqa, at seven months old.
Christine Allain shared that she had been profoundly affected by meeting Georges Salines, the father of Lola Salines, one of the victims of the Bataclan attack, while in prison.
Jennyfer Clain's lawyer, Guillaume Halbique, welcomed the "balanced" 11-year verdict and noted that his client was unlikely to appeal, adding that her "ideological commitment [to the IS group] is completely behind her and has been for many years."
The trial underscored the persistent challenge faced by Western nations in dealing with the hundreds of women and minors who returned after the collapse of the so-called caliphate.
