Deputy speaker says foreign ISIS prisoners must face Iraqi courts before deportation

BAGHDAD — First Deputy Speaker Adnan Faihan al-Dulaimi called Wednesday for foreign terrorist prisoners who committed crimes against Iraqis to face prosecution under Iraqi law before any potential return to their home countries.

Faihan stressed “the necessity of prosecuting terrorist prisoners who committed crimes against Iraqis according to Iraqi law” and “the necessity of not deporting terrorist prisoners to their countries without trial.”

The remarks come as Iraqi authorities handle Islamic State detainees transferred from Syria. The Supreme Judicial Council said Friday that all crimes attributed to detainees will be examined exclusively under Iraqi law, with investigations underway into suspects from 42 countries.

Ali Diaa, deputy head of the National Center for International Judicial Cooperation, said the First Karkh Investigative Court is handling the cases. The total number of detainees “is expected to reach between 7,000 and 8,000 people,” he said.

Interrogations began Jan. 28, with Diaa noting that “the investigation starts from zero” while authorities possess “a huge volume of data related to crimes committed by ISIS gangs” between 2014 and 2017.

Iraq’s Security Media Cell said 2,250 Islamic State members have been received from Syria in coordination with the international coalition. Cell chief Lt. Gen. Saad Maan said, “The firm principle is to try all those involved in committing crimes against Iraqis and affiliated with the ISIS terrorist organization before competent Iraqi courts.”

The Foreign Ministry has said detainees will face trial or be sent to rehabilitation centers if involvement in crimes cannot be proven, while Iraq urges other countries to repatriate their nationals after legal procedures are completed.