Shafaq News– Baghdad
The transfer of ISIS detainees from camps innortheastern Syria to Iraq could place extreme pressure on the country’salready overcrowded prisons, the Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights warned onSaturday.
Speaking to Shafaq News, Mustafa Saadoun, head ofthe observatory, assessed that the success of the transfers hinges primarily onprisons’ capacity to absorb detainees through modern isolation andclassification mechanisms, cautioning that overcrowding levels could exceed300%.
He urged Iraqi authorities to prioritize thedevelopment of rehabilitation and reform programs that uphold the rule of lawand shield social stability from ideological spillover resulting from theimproper mixing of prisoners.
“Detention facilities suffer from severeinfrastructure deterioration,” Saadoun added, noting that inmates are oftenforced to sleep in shifts in narrow, poorly ventilated corridors withoutsunlight, turning prisons into breeding grounds for contagious diseases such asscabies and tuberculosis.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) began earlier thismonth a “safe and systematic” transfer of around 7,000 ISIS detainees fromnortheastern Syria to “secure” facilities in Iraq, a move CENTCOM characterizedas coordinated and agreed upon with Iraqi authorities.
More than a week later, fewer than 500 detaineeshave been transferred, according to Iraqi officials cited by Reuters. Baghdadrequested a slowdown to gain time to negotiate with foreign governments overthe repatriation of their nationals and to prepare additional detentionfacilities. Several governments, the official added, remain reluctant to takeback their citizens because of potential political and legal repercussions athome.
Iraqi officials have also warned that accepting thefull number could overwhelm the judicial system, particularly as many foreignfighters could face the death penalty under Iraqi law.
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