Shafaq News- Damascus

Families of Syrian detainees recently transferred from prisons in northeast Syria to Iraq staged a protest on Monday outside the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Damascus, calling for clarification on the fate of their relatives.

Shafaq News correspondent reported that protesters said many of the detainees had previously been held by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), alleging, “the detainees faced unfounded charges before being moved to Iraq.” The families warned that the transfers could have serious legal and humanitarian consequences for the detainees, particularly given the lack of transparency about their status and conditions.

They urged the Syrian government to take immediate steps to secure the return of the detainees and ensure they are tried in Syria, calling for “opening official communication channels with Iraqi authorities and relevant international bodies.” The demonstrators further demanded detailed name lists of those transferred, clarification of the legal basis for the relocations, and guarantees that detainees’ rights will be protected and that they will not face violations abroad.

In February 2026, Iraq took custody of 5,704 ISIS suspects representing 61 nationalities from prisons in Syria, according to the National Center for International Judicial Cooperation.

The center, affiliated with Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council, noted that 467 of the detainees are Iraqi nationals, while 4,253 are Arab nationals and 983 are non-Arab foreign nationals. The largest group is Syrian, totaling 3,543 suspects. Prominent foreign nationalities include Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Austria, Spain, Switzerland, Denmark, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, as well as Australia, Canada, the United States, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.