The mother of a Franco-Algerian jihadist who is believed to have died in Syria was sentenced Thursday in Paris to two years in prison for "financing terrorism" by sending him money, a conviction her lawyer said she intends to appeal, reports FRANCE 24.
The criminal court did not, however, order the immediate incarceration of Nathalie Haddadi, as requested by the prosecutor at a September 5 hearing. The prosecution had requested 18 months' imprisonment.
The 43-year-old intends to appeal, according to her lawyer, Hervé Denis.
Speaking to reporters after the verdict, Denis noted that there are some 2,000 radicalised French citizens fighting with jihadists abroad. “So this case doesn’t only concern Mrs Haddadi, it involves all parents of radicalised children.”
"I can understand severity when you are guilty," he said. "But when it comes to sentencing a crying mother just as a matter of principle, I think that is disgraceful."
He added: "It’s not tough – it’s mean."
Haddadi, a non-practicing Muslim and business adviser in Alsace, was accused of buying airline tickets to Algeria for her son, Belabbas Bounaga, who joined his father there in early November 2015.
She said she sent her son to Algeria so that his father could "save" him.
Haddadi said she had informed the authorities that her son had been radicalised while doing a stint in jail for drug trafficking and aggravated assault. Boulaga was subsequently prohibited from leaving French territory.