The U.N. special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions Agnes Callamard said foreign Daesh terrorists recently captured in Syria and Iraq should be prosecuted in their home countries.
Speaking to the Anadolu Agency at the U.N. headquarters, Callamard said Iraq and Syria have been prosecuting them by arguing that the crimes were committed on their soil, and revelations of systematic torture have been significant obstacles against issuing fair verdicts.
"This is why, in my view, the only option at the moment is for the trials to be held elsewhere. The countries of origin of foreign fighters are the most logical places," Callamard said.
She stressed that their return may prompt more propaganda and radicalization, proving fears true, but there was no simple solution to the problem and it needed to be faced as soon as possible.
"There is no easy solution... Just because we are not living in the northeast of Syria, it is not going to go away... At some point, we have to confront it," she said.
Recalling the innocent families of Daesh terrorists, Callamard said there is no reason for these women and children to be held in camps in northern Syria and they need to be repatriated after their security is ensured.
"The orphans should be returned as a matter of priority," Callamard said. "There is no reason why those orphans should still be left in camps in northeastern Syria when their grandparents are expecting and asking for them back in their countries of origin," she added.
Several human rights organizations and the United Nations have repeatedly warned that conditions in the al-Hol camp are worsening each day, and have demanded access to the centers where the families of former Daesh terrorists are being held.
The camp is a holding place for civilians who escaped the conflict in Deir el-Zour, along with captured terrorists and the families of former Daesh members who surrendered. Most of the civilians were forcefully brought to the camp by the YPG in April 2017, according to reports.
According to the U.N., there are currently some 73,000 people held in the camp, 92% of whom are women and children, and 15% of whom are foreign nationals.
The U.N. representative also indicated that it is unacceptable by international law to revoke the citizenship of the captives and leave them stateless. "A large number of international obligations are being violated when foreign fighters are stripped of their nationalities," she said.
European countries have in the past not welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump’s call to take back their nationals who fought for Daesh, or their families. However, earlier this month after the U.S.' withdrawal from Syria, Trump said that he has been notified by some European countries that they are willing to accept some former Daesh terrorists detained in Syria, which was seen as progress as they had previously rejected accepting any militants.