Russia agrees to repatriate its nationals held in Iraqi prisons on ISIS charges, say Iraqi officials

BAGHDAD — Russia has expressed readiness to repatriate its nationals accused of terrorism and held in Iraqi prisons, following a formal request from Baghdad, Iraqi officials said Wednesday.

Iraqi Ambassador to Moscow Abdul Karim Hashem Mustafa met Tuesday with Russian Deputy Interior Minister Igor Nikolaevich Zubov at the Russian Interior Ministry, where he conveyed “the Iraqi government’s invitation to the Russian government to retrieve its nationals from members of ISIS terrorist group detained in Iraqi prisons,” according to Iraq’s Foreign Ministry.

The Russian side expressed “the readiness of the Russian Federation to retrieve prisoners of Russian nationality after verifying their citizenship,” the ministry said.

Moscow’s response follows a Feb. 18 meeting between Iraqi Justice Minister Khalid Shwani and Russian Ambassador to Iraq Elbrus Kutrashev, during which Shwani requested legal and judicial cooperation and raised the possibility of a bilateral agreement for the transfer of convicted persons between the two countries.

Iraq is holding 5,703 detainees transferred from Syria, representing more than 60 nationalities. The total includes 467 Iraqis, 3,543 Syrians and 983 non-Arab foreigners, according to Justice Ministry spokesperson Mohammed Laibi. All are being held pending investigation and trial under Iraqi law.

Iraq’s National Security Council said Sunday that the detainees will not remain in Iraq permanently and that the government is working to return them to their home countries after legal procedures are completed. On Tuesday, the Justice Ministry said Turkish nationals among the detainees would be prosecuted under Iraqi law before a possible transfer to Turkey under a 1990s bilateral agreement.