Thousands of ISIS fighters are being transported from camps in Syria to Iraq by US troops, and Dutch citizens are likely to be among them, broadcaster NOS said on Wednesday.
According to the latest figures from the anti-terrorism unit NCTV, around 15 Dutch citizens were imprisoned in camps run by the Kurdish SDF militia.
But, as further noted, the men’s lawyers have been unable to contact them.
Thousands of people escaped from the camps following fighting between the SDF and Syrian government troops in the region earlier this year, and now the prisoners are being transferred to Iraq.
Iraqi authorities have confirmed the arrival of over 5,700 prisoners of 61 different nationalities.
They are calling on the governments of their home countries to begin repatriation and say their prisons do not have the capacity to cope with the number of those arriving.
But so far, the Dutch government has 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’s view is that prosecution and execution of prison sentences should take place in the region,” a government spokesman told broadcaster NOS.
The government will only consider repatriation if there is no risk to national security, he added.
However, according to human rights lawyer Hoshyar Malo, the Netherlands must take responsibility for its citizens in Iraq and Syria.
“They should demand that they be extradited and tried under the Dutch justice system, not under the Iraqi justice system,” he told the broadcaster.
He also stressed that there is a possibility that files and other documents that could be used in court may have been lost during the relocation to Iraq. /Telegrafi/