The entrance of Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council building in Baghdad.
Iraq judiciary moves to prosecute ISIS detainees transferred from Syria
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council said Thursday it has begun legal proceedings against Islamic State detainees transferred from camps and prisons in northeastern Syria previously controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, stressing that all suspects are subject exclusively to Iraqi jurisdiction.
In a statement, the council said that “based on the provisions of the Iraqi constitution and applicable penal laws, and in light of the recent security developments in the Syrian Arab Republic,” Iraqi courts will initiate formal judicial procedures against detainees received and placed in designated correctional facilities.
The council emphasized the need to “document and archive terrorist crimes in accordance with legal standards,” coordinating with the National Center for International Judicial Cooperation to establish criminal facts of a cross-border nature, strengthen international judicial cooperation and ensure that no suspect evades accountability.
“All defendants, regardless of their nationalities or positions within the terrorist organization, are subject exclusively to the authority of the Iraqi judiciary,” the statement said, adding that legal procedures will be applied “without exception, in a manner that preserves the rights of victims and reinforces the principle of the rule of law in Iraq.”
The move follows Iraq’s recent receipt of Islamic State detainees from northeastern Syria after shifting control and intensified fighting raised concerns over prison security. U.S. Central Command said Wednesday it began transferring detainees from Hasakah to Iraq, with an initial group of 150 fighters moved under coordination with Iraqi authorities. Iraqi officials confirmed the transfer of 150 individuals, describing them as “deeply involved in the killing of innocent Iraqis,” and said future transfers would depend on security and field assessments, with a focus on high-risk figures.
The transfers come as clashes in northeastern Syria renewed international concern over detention facilities holding thousands of Islamic State detainees and their families, with reports of escapes heightening fears of a potential resurgence of the group.