France expands use of nationality revocation for convicted terrorists

France, once cautious about revoking citizenship, is increasingly using the decree of national indignity to strip nationality from people convicted of terrorism. The shift is exemplified by the October 2021 judgment of Franco-Tunisian S.C, sentenced to seven years behind bars with a two-thirds security period, a three-year socio-judicial follow-up, and inclusion in the automated terrorist offenders register. The court found him part of a Franco-Swiss pipeline that funneled fighters to ISIS-controlled areas in Syria and Iraq, noting two failed attempts to reach Syria in 2015, illegal weapons possession, and the transfer of a large sum of money to facilitate another’s travel to Syria.

He also accessed jihad-related digital content. The interior ministry now routinely applies denaturalisation in such cases, aiming to prevent future threats and tighten post-conviction supervision.