Syria and Iraq Establish Joint Judicial Committees to Oversee ISIS Prisoner Cases

Syria and Iraq have agreed to form judicial committees to oversee the cases of ISIS prisoners who were transferred from Syrian detention facilities to Iraqi prisons this year. An Iraqi judicial delegation led by head of the Supreme Judicial Council, Faiq Zaidan, was in Syria on Thursday to discuss legal co-ordination.

Mr Zaidan and Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara met to discuss ways to strengthen legal and judicial co-ordination amidst increasing co-operation between the two nations. Syrian Justice Minister Mazhar Al Wais stated that technical and expert teams will be formed to examine the matter of ISIS detainees and reach mutually acceptable solutions.

In February, the US Central Command and Iraqi officials reported that about 5,700 detainees had been transferred to Iraq from Syria. These prisoners were previously held in facilities administered by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in north-eastern Syria before the Syrian government extended its control into those areas earlier this year.

Judge Laith Jabr, head of the Iraqi Judicial Supervisory Commission, confirmed the agreement to establish joint judicial committees for continuous meetings regarding trial files. Iraqi courts have previously handed down numerous death sentences and life terms for terrorism offences, while the government continues to urge other nations to repatriate their citizens from the camps.