Thousands of ISIS fighters are being transported from camps in Syria to Iraq by American troops, and Dutch nationals are likely to be among them, broadcaster NOS said on Wednesday.
According to recent figures from anti terrorism unit NCTV, some 15 Dutch nationals were prisoners in camps held by the Kurdish SDF militia. Lawyers for the men have not been able to contact them.
Thousands of people escaped from the camps following fighting between the SDF and Syrian government troops in the region at the beginning of this year and now prisoners are being moved on Iraq.
The Iraqi authorities have confirmed the arrival of over 5,700 prisoners with 61 different nationalities. They are calling on the governments of their countries of origin to start repatriation and say their own prisons do not have the capacity to cope with the numbers coming in.
So far, the Dutch government reiterated that it has no plans to repatriate and prosecute Dutch ISIS members despite the changing circumstances and the fact that the Netherlands has diplomatic relations with Iraq.
“The cabinet standpoint is that the prosecution and execution of prison sentences should happen in the region,” a government spokesman told broadcaster NOS. The government will only consider repatriation if there is no danger to national security, he said.
According to human rights lawyer Hoshyar Malo, the Netherlands should take responsibility for its nationals in Iraq and Syria.
“They must ask for them to be extradited and judged according to the Dutch justice system, not the Iraqi justice system,” he told the broadcaster. He also said there is a possibility that files and other documents that can be used in court may have been lost during the move to Iraq.
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