IS fighter Steve Duarte sentenced to life

Prosecutors had requested the maximum punishment, and the court agreed.

Duarte, who lived in Luxembourg until 2014, joined ISIS and is now believed to still be detained by Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria. He did not appear in court, and his exact location remains shrouded in uncertainty.

From radicalisation to execution video

The court previously heard that Duarte’s radicalisation began online before he travelled to Syria in August 2014. Once embedded in ISIS, he rose to prominence as a media propagandist and is alleged to have orchestrated the execution of five Iraqi Kurds in Mosul in early 2016.

Investigators emphasised that he gave the order and led the execution, based on evidence including a propaganda video. Prosecutors hold him partly responsible for those deaths.

In an RTL interview in 2019, Duarte denied being the man in the video. In past interviews from Kurdish detention, he said he wasn’t present in the footage and claimed his role was limited to praise and propaganda. He also stated that he went to Syria solely for religious study and worked as a merchant while his wife baked goods.

In separate interviews, Duarte expressed remorse, asked to return to Luxembourg, and offered to serve any sentence. He also claimed he had attempted to leave ISIS three years earlier.

Duarte was one of four men tried in absentia in Luxembourg. Three other suspects appear to be presumed dead, while Duarte remains the only known survivor. The prosecution brought charges including terrorism, incitement, recruitment, and murder.

International arrest warrant

Although Luxembourg issued an international arrest warrant as early as 2016, all repatriation efforts have stalled. Kurdish authorities in Syria refuse to extradite suspects. As there are no diplomatic relations between Luxembourg and Syria, the current circumstances make it difficult for Duarte to be returned to the Grand Duchy.