Autonomous Administration calls for an International Tribunal

Following success in the liberation campaign on ISIS’s last territorial pocket, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria calls for the creation of an international tribunal to try foreign ISIS/DAESH criminals currently in detention in North Syria.

During a press briefing on Saturday in the headquarters of the Autonomous Administration in Ain Issa city, the spokesperson of the Autonomous Administration Luqman Ehmê stressed that people of the region have given enormous sacrifices on behalf of humanity to secure victory over ISIS. He said:

“On behalf of the Autonomous Administration, grateful thanks to our courageous people who faced the danger and gave their lives to secure human’s freedom. Success of this liberation campaign has costed the components of our region 11,000 souls and over 21,000 wounded -including hundreds with permanent disabilities.”

Earlier, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced they have captured over 5,000 ISIS jihadists — Syrian and foreign — since January 2019.

The spokeperson of the Autonomous Administration called on the United Nations during the briefing for the establishment of an international criminal tribunal to prosecute foreign ISIS members. He stressed that the dispersion of ISIS criminals to national jurisdictions will largely deny victims the ability to testify in court, while simultaneously depriving prosecutors the ability to secure convictions that reflect the seriousness of the crimes committed. He read:

“The United Nations should assume its responsibility towards these detainees and work with the Autonomous Administration to address this serious challenge, and ensure their extradition to their home countries,”

“ISIS has caused a heavy destruction and casualties in our region and other countries around the world. They have committed murder, torture, kidnapping, enslaving, rape, recruitment of children, and terrorized peaceful communities,”

“To fulfil justice and accountability, those who committed egregious crimes against humanity must be held to account. The UN should consider the creation of a tribunal in our region to deliver justice to victims. To guarantee a fair trial, the tribunal shall be created in the region where the crimes are committed; in accordance with international law and the international conventions and instruments on human rights.”

At the end of the briefing, Ehmê called on the international community and States concerned, for collaboration and provision of support for the establishment of such a tribunal to bring justice to the victims, through cooperation and coordination on all levels, including the legal and logistical.

The UN has been involved with several tribunals around the world, established to prosecute the perpetrators of the genocides and war crimes for bringing justice to the victims. The Security Council established two ad hoc criminal tribunals, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).