Iraq has finished interrogating thousands of ISIS suspects transferred from Syria and is preparing to put them on trial, the Supreme Judicial Council said.
The First Karkh Investigation Court, which specialises in terrorism cases, has “completed the interrogation phase” for the 5,704 suspects, the council said in a statement. The cases are to be moved to the next judicial stage, with defendants referred to trial courts “according to the evidence and facts collected in his case”.
It marks a major step in one of Iraq’s largest terrorism files. The court began preliminary investigations in February and carried out interrogations, collected evidence and verified information about the detainees.
The judicial review found the suspects comprised 67 nationalities. There were 16 Arab, 19 European and 32 other nationalities, the council said. The breakdown includes 474 Iraqis and 3,497 Syrians.
Investigations also identified “highly dangerous elements” who held leadership, security, religious, military, or media roles within ISIS, or were linked to "specialised operations and crimes with an international dimension, including top-ranking leaders in Daesh gangs", it added.
The court found the roles were not limited to combat. "Evidence pointed to military, security, financial, logistical, administrative, health, technical and media activities," it added.
The National Centre for International Judicial Co-operation documented the findings of the investigation and linked them to databases to enable analysis. A joint intelligence analysis centre, including judicial investigators and personnel from the Interior Ministry, National Intelligence Service, National Security Service and Military Intelligence Directorate, worked to verify detainee data and support courts with technical reports and documents.
Forensic evidence procedures by the Interior Ministry’s Criminal Evidence Directorate included recording biometric data. The investigations also led to releases in cases where evidence was not established.
According to the council, a Finnish and American detainee were released and handed over to the authorities in their home countries. Seven Iraqi detainees were also released.
Procedures are also under way to release 457 Syrian detainees after no evidence was found to warrant further judicial proceedings. The council said co-ordination was taking place with the Syrian embassy in Baghdad through the Iraqi Foreign Ministry to arrange their handover to Syria after completing the required legal procedures for each case.
The investigations uncovered information related to serious international crimes committed against the Yazidi community. Six defendants were identified with roles directly linked to the enslavement, detention, transfer, sale, or supervision of Yazidi women.
A remote courtroom with CCTV and direct video links is to be used to reduce transfer risks during the trials.
