Five "terrorists" face losing French nationality

Five men in France have denounced what they see as a "witch hunt" as the French government made moves to remove their French nationality.The process of retracing their French nationality began on the 7th October at the request of the Interior Minister, Bernard Cazeneuve.

Moroccan king Mohammed VI and French President François Hollande. Photo RFI / Florent Guignard

The five men - four Franco-Morrocans and one Franco-Turk, aged between 38 and 41, - became French citizens between 1991 and 2001. They say thet are willing to take they case to the State Council, the highest administrative jurisdiction in France to contest the proceedings to retract their Frech nationality.

They were all convicted in 2007 for between 6-8 years in prison for plotting to carry out a terrorist attack. They were condemned for their links to the Morocco Islamic Combattant Group which was repsonsible for an attack in Casablanca in May 2003. All five were released from jail between 2008-9. But they say that they have served their time in prison and that this latest step constitutes a secondary punishment.

Lawyers for the men, Jean-Pierre Spitzer and William Bourdon, said at a press conference Thursday that the men had been perfectly rehabilitated and resinserted into society since finishing their sentences. They further pointed to a provision in French law that nationality can only be retracted from a naturalised citizen in the ten years after it is granted.

Questions have also been raised over the original convictions. Lawyers pointed out that men continue to deny any involvement and cite that no weapons, explosives receipes or money were found during police seraches. For the lawyers, the convictions were as a result of confessions of two of the defendants extracted under torture at the hands of the Moroccan authorities.

Earlier this year, France and Morocco signed a new judicial agreement aimed at consolidating data exchange between judicial authorities and ensure smooth procedures. But, the agreement was denounced by rights groups and French judges as opening up the way for information obtained under torture to be used in French courts.