Shafaq News- Baghdad

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Tuesday that 5,700 detainees transferred by the United States from northeast Syria to Iraq for alleged ISIS affiliation face risks of enforced disappearance, torture, unfair trials, and possible execution.

The transfers began in January under US Central Command during clashes between Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). According to Shafaq News sources, Iraqi authorities are holding the detainees in high-security facilities.

In a statement, HRW said the transfers may violate international legal principles prohibiting the return of individuals to countries where they face a substantial risk of abuse. The group also raised concerns over Iraq’s counterterrorism trials, citing previously documented due process violations.

Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council said on February 8 that the suspects, who hold citizenship of 42 countries, will be prosecuted under Iraqi law and will not be extradited until investigations are completed. Iraqi government spokesperson Basem al-Awadi described the transfer as a “preemptive step to defend Iraqi national security.”

During a seminar on Monday chaired by Raed al-Hamid al-Muslih, head of the appellate court, judicial officials said the detainees fall under national jurisdiction and will be tried in accordance with Iraqi law. They added that more than 400 related cases have already been processed and that the judiciary is proceeding in line with domestic legislation and counterterrorism commitments.

Read more: ISIS detainee transfers test Iraq’s post-Coalition security