Northeast Syria to try more than 10.000 foreign ISIS members

The Autonomous Administration of Northern and Eastern Syria (AANES) has announced that it will begin legal proceedings against more than ten thousand ISIS members. AANES stated that their decision was made in consideration of the fact that their repeated appeals to the international community to bring the criminal ISIS mercenaries to justice were unsuccessful. Among the thousands of prisoners to be tried are European ISIS members.

The statement issued by AANES on 10 June begins as follows:

“In recent years, the world has seen how the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have confronted and fought the terrorist organization ISIS in northern and eastern Syria, from Kobani to Al-Baghouz and through to the capital of their supposed caliphate, Raqqa. ISIS, the most dangerous international terrorist organization, has committed the most heinous crimes and massacres against the people of the region. Terrorists of more than 60 nationalities, who entered Syria through Turkish territory with the support and supervision of the Ankara government, have committed war crimes against humanity and are responsible for thousands of disappearances and the destruction of our cities and infrastructure.”

More than 10.000 ISIS militants were detained in Baghouz, the last ISIS stronghold to be defeated. They remain in democratic self-governance detention centers in Northeast Syria, in addition to tens of thousands of family members, mostly children and women, who are currently in camps in Northern and Eastern Syria. AANES has repeatedly called on the international community to assume its responsibility to find a solution to the problem of ISIS members in detention. The statement included the following remarks on the international response to the call:

“Today, despite the great challenges, difficulty and sensitivity of the phase, the Autonomous Administration bears a great burden due to these criminals who are detained in detention centers without any trial for the crimes they have committed against innocent people. Conditions can no longer remain as they are. Not bringing these criminals to justice violates international laws and agreements, and also increases the danger of the security situation if they remain in this situation. Due to the failure of the international community to respond to the Autonomous Administration’s calls and requests to home countries to retrieve their citizens, and to achieve social justice, the Autonomous Administration of Northern and Eastern Syria has decided to give the captured foreign ISIS members a fair and transparent trial in accordance with international and local laws related to terrorism, and in a manner that preserves the rights of the plaintiffs among the victims and members of their families.”

AANES emphasizes that its opinion on the need to establish an international tribunal or court for the file of ISIS terrorists remains unchanged. Therefore, the Autonomous Administration reiterates its request to the international community to respond to the demands for the establishment of an international tribunal. The statement ends with a call on the International Coalition against ISIS, the United Nations, relevant international human rights organizations and local organizations to be actively involved, present and supportive during all stages of the trials.

Jiwan Mulla Ibrahim, Co-Chair of AANES Media Department, told ANHA news agency that the courts will be organized through the People’s Defense Court and the Social Justice Council. He also stated that in the next few days, the trial sessions will start, and there will be a statement by the Autonomous Administration about the location and time. He also announced that the media can attend and cover the trial sessions that reflects AANES’s efforts to show the facts as they are.