ISIS members will be brought to justice in North and East Syria – Latest information divulged on the upcoming processes

On Jun 17, 2023

Following the announcement of the Autonomous Administration to finally hold ISIS terrorists accountable, including women, new and exclusive information was now published following an online “Zoom” meeting in which Badran Jiya Kurd, the Co-President of the Department for external relations was present as well as European and US media outlets and news agencies.

This decision was preceded by the continuous and repetitive indifference of the international community to take the issue of detained ISIS terrorists seriously even after the lethal event in the Al-Sina’a prison in Al-Hassaka in January 2021 and vigorous appeals by AANES. In addition to the staunch refusal of several European countries to repatriate their own citizens, AANES has eventually decided to take matters into their own hands and instigate the first trials against ISIS members and affiliates.

According to Badran Jiya Kurd the trials will be conducted publicly and thus, be open to journalists, except for cases that will include the testimonies of the victims before the court. Kurd further emphasized that no official date for the instigation of the trials as well as their termination had been defined due to current security concerns and the need to discuss the last details regarding the collection of evidence and the safeguarding of the region’s fragile stability.

Moreover, it was officially enunciated that the Syrian central government in Damascus will not be involved in this matter and that the prosecution of foreign ISIS terrorist is considered to constitute part of the “fight against terrorism”.

Lastly, Badran Jiya Kurd was asked on the fate of children of ISIS fighters and stated that “many states are reluctant to repatriate their own citizens, however, what for AANES it is crucial to take specific and tangible steps for the sake of fighting extremism and radicalization by supporting projects that facilitate the return of them to their normal lives”.