Robin Fleming
The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) announced on Saturday, 10 June, that they will begin trials of foreign ISIS militants kept in detention centres in North and East Syria (NES) in the very near future.
On 10 June the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) made the announcement that they plan to put approximately 10,000 foreign Islamic State (ISIS) militants on trial. These militants, as well as those affiliated with them are kept across North and East Syria (NES) in camps and detention centres, and have been since the territorial defeat of ISIS by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and International Coalition in early 2019.
The continued presence of ISIS militants and affiliates, including tens of thousands of women and children mostly residing in al-Hol camp, has produced an incredible amount of strain for the Autonomous Administration as well as the SDF. With monthly instances of violence against other camp inhabitants and security forces occurring in al-Hol at the hands of the detained women, and multiple escape attempts most notably in January of 2022 when ISIS inmates broke free from al-Sina’a prison in the Ghuwayran region of al-Hasakah. Most escapees were recaptured but 400 remained at large and 154 members of the SDF lost their lives during the outbreak. These 154 fatalities are added to the more than 10,000 deaths the SDF has already suffered during their efforts to bring an end to the threat of ISIS.
In a region like NES, that is already struggling with a desperate scarcity of resources and continuous attacks on its infrastructure and security, the burden of 10,000 of foreign ISIS militants is a heavy one, one the AANES has been carrying for the world for four years now.
Clarifying the challenges faced by the administration in maintaining al-Hol, Rojava Information Centre (RIC) published a 2019 report that stated: “The camp costs over $700,000 a day just for basic upkeep at $10 per head, or over $250,000,000 per annum – a huge sum for the Autonomous Administration to find, and one which has seen wages cut for the SDF and other AANES employees as the AANES struggles to keep the camp working. Forty-eight internationally-sponsored aid and expansion efforts are underway in the camp, though these efforts are hampered by limitations on international aid to North East Syria imposed by its lack of political status. For example, medical charities cannot work directly with the Autonomous Administration, meaning they cannot sponsor or support many of the hospitals and medical points inside the camp.”
Despite numerous calls by the AANES, many ISIS affiliates have yet to be repatriated and proposals for an international tribunal have fallen on deaf ears. The RIC released a report on these proposals, also in 2019, outlining steps which must be taken to limit the continued threat of ISIS in Syria as well as the world at large. The report focused on the need for an international tribunal and recognition that the crimes of ISIS were largely committed on Syrian and NES soil, and that it was the Arab, Kurdish and Christian civilians who suffered at their hands and whom deserve justice.
The statement released on Saturday by the AANES drew specific attention to how the international community has largely ignored their attempts to bring ISIS to justice, and continues to turn a blind eye to the suffering endured by the populous in northeast Syria at the hands of the Islamic State.
“Since the first days of the end of the battle of Al-Baghouz and its aftermath, the Autonomous Administration has appealed and repeatedly called on the international community to fulfil its responsibilities in finding solutions for the detained ISIS elements in it [NES], and have put forward initiatives for all concerned countries and human rights and international organisations in order to form an international tribunal, or a court of an international nature, in order to try foreign members of ISIS, according to the evidence and irrefutable documents available to the administration’s institutions, that condemn them of committing the most horrific terrorist crimes, along with their supporters, against the people and components of this region.”
The statement concludes by confirming the administration’s intentions to prepare and conduct trials for foreign ISIS members currently detained in NES. Despite clearly stating that with-or-without international support the AANES will continue the process of trying ISIS itself, they end by reiterating that assistance from the International Coalition and the United Nations is urgently needed.
“Because of the failure of the international community to respond to the calls and appeals of the Autonomous Administration of countries to repatriate citizens from the organisation… redress the victims, and achieve social justice, AANES has decided to begin subjecting foreign ISIS militants detained [in NES] to open, fair and transparent trials, in accordance with international and local laws related to terrorism, and in a way that preserves the rights of the plaintiffs among the victims and members of their families, and this does not mean that the administration abandons its opinion on the need to establish an international tribunal, or a court of an international nature for the trying of ISIS terrorists, and we are still insisting on our request to the international community to respond to our demands for the formation of an international tribunal, and in this context we call on [the International Coalition to Combat Terrorism], the United Nations, relevant international human rights organisations, and local organisations, to engage positively, be present and provide support during all stages of trials.”
No one deserves more than the AANES to have involvement in bringing ISIS to justice, since it was them who gave thousands of soldiers to ensure their defeat over the course of years and NES civilians suffered the most under ISIS with the NES region of Deir ez-Zor being the region under the control of ISIS for the longest time. They deserve to be at the forefront, but at the forefront of an international effort to empty the over crowded camps and detention centres of NES and eliminate the risk and economic strain put on the Autonomous Administration, to bring justice to ISIS’ victims. Currently they are alone in this effort. The United States, as of 2019, had 20 of their nationals including many fighters detained in NES, the United Kingdom had 26 men and women and about 30 children. Germany has 66 men, and over 100 women and children. These are only 3 countries that have provided foreign volunteers to the terrorist group.
Solving the problem of the untried ISIS members does not belong solely to the AANES. It belongs to everyone who wants to see the threat eliminated, wants peace and stability in the Middle East and beyond, anyone who values women’s rights, democracy and the free and voluntary pursuit of religion. Who will prove that they believe in these principles? Who besides the authorities of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.
