Salah Abdeslam to Remain in Solitary Confinement After French Court Rejects Appeal

Tuesday 22 September 2026 - 23:45

Salah Abdeslam will remain in solitary confinement at the Vendin-le-Vieil high-security prison in northern France after an administrative court rejected his challenge to the extension of the measure.

The Lille Administrative Court ruled on September 22 that there were no grounds to overturn the prison administration’s decision to keep Abdeslam isolated until November 7, 2026. The court also upheld the current arrangements for telephone visits with family members, which take place through a partition window.

The decision means that the existing restrictions will remain in place while Abdeslam continues serving his sentence for his involvement in the November 13, 2015 attacks in Paris and Saint-Denis.

Court finds no legal basis to overturn the measures

The judge handling the urgent proceedings concluded that the evidence presented did not establish that the administrative measures were unlawful.

During a hearing on September 15, Abdeslam raised concerns about the consequences of his detention conditions and described the impact of the restrictions on his contact with relatives.

He also argued that the separation barrier used during family visits had affected the frequency of those visits, saying that relatives were coming less often.

Previous changes to visiting arrangements

The latest ruling follows several legal developments concerning Abdeslam’s detention conditions.

In April, the same court ordered the French state to ease certain restrictions governing family visits. That decision was subsequently overturned in June following allegations that Abdeslam had threatened the prison director and that visitors had attempted to bring prohibited items into the facility.

The authorities subsequently maintained stricter arrangements, including the physical separation used during family visits.

Abdeslam serving an irreducible life sentence

Abdeslam is the sole surviving member of the group that carried out the November 2015 attacks in Paris and Saint-Denis. He was convicted for his role in the attacks and is serving an irreducible life sentence in France.

The September 22 ruling does not alter his sentence. It concerns the conditions under which he is being held, particularly his continued solitary confinement and arrangements for contact with his family.

The measure is currently scheduled to remain in force until November 7, 2026, subject to any future administrative or judicial decisions.