French Company Lafarge Found Guilty of Financing Terrorist Groups in Syria

Author: Vera Rousseff

April 14, 2026

HRRC strongly denounces Lafarge for financing the Islamic State and other terrorist groups in Syria, and for endangering its own Syrian employees during the country’s civil war. We call on Lafarge to provide compensation to the former employees whose safety was put at risk so that the company could continue its operations in the country.

The Lafarge cement plant in Jalabiya, Syria. [Image credit: Delil Souleiman/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images]

On Monday, April 13, 2026, a Paris court found French cement company Lafarge guilty of financing terrorist groups in Syria during the country’s civil war. Judges determined that Lafarge paid nearly 5.6 million euros to various groups, including the Islamic State (IS), in order to continue operating its plant in Syria from 2013 to 2014. The cement giant has been fined more than one million euros and its former CEO, Bruno Lafont, has been sentenced to six years in prison.

Most multinational companies left Syria after the civil war broke out in 2011. Lafarge, however, evacuated only its expatriate employees, leaving its Syrian staff to continue working at the factory until it was seized by IS in 2014. During those two years, the company was aware of the danger faced by its Syrian workers, who were at risk of injury, kidnapping, and death. Nevertheless, Lafarge continued purchasing materials from IS-controlled sources in what Isabelle Prevost-Desprez, the judge presiding over the trial, referred to as “a genuine commercial partnership.”

"It is clear to the court that the sole purpose of the funding of a terrorist organisation was to keep the Syrian plant running for economic reasons. Payments to terrorist entities enabled Lafarge to continue its operations," Judge Prevost-Desprez said. She also argued that the payments made by Lafarge enabled IS and other groups to maintain control of Syria’s natural resources and carry out terrorist attacks in the region, causing immense harm to civilians.

Lafarge’s former Syrian employees have not received compensation for the danger they faced while working at the factory. In a statement issued after the verdict, former employees said: “Lafarge was aware of what was happening to us – the checkpoints, the threats, the daily fear – but chose to risk the lives of its employees for profit.” However, the court ruled that the workers are not entitled to compensation because individuals cannot qualify as victims of terrorism financing. The former employees have said that they will continue to demand compensation.

The case against Lafarge marks the first time a company in France has been convicted of financing terrorism. It therefore represents an important milestone in the fight to hold companies accountable for enabling human rights atrocities for the sake of profit. While states are often investigated for their role in international conflicts, it is easy to overlook the significant influence of major corporate actors such as Lafarge. These transnational companies have a responsibility to ensure that their business dealings do not enable human rights violations and, in cases where they have been found guilty of doing so, they must provide compensation to the individuals who have been affected. 

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Glossary

• Civil War: a war between groups within the same country.

• Checkpoint: a place where people are stopped and checked by authorities (like soldiers or police), often to control movement or ensure safety.

• Compensation: money given to someone to make up for harm or loss.

• Convicted: found guilty of a crime by a court of law.

• Denounce: to publicly say that something is wrong or bad, often strongly criticizing it.

• Expatriate Employees: workers who are sent to live and work in a country that is not their home country.

• Financing Terrorism: providing money or resources to groups that use violence to create fear and achieve political goals.

• Human Rights Violations: actions that harm people’s basic rights and freedoms.

• Islamic State (IS): an extremist militant group that controlled parts of Syria and Iraq and carried out violent attacks.

• Multinational Company: a business that operates in more than one country.

• Natural Resources: materials found in nature, such as oil, water, or minerals, that people use.

• Presiding judge: the judge who is in charge of a court case and oversees what happens during the trial.

• Terrorist Group: an organization that uses violence and fear to achieve its goals.

• Transnational Company: a company that operates across multiple countries, often with global influence.