The First Investigative Court of Karkh, affiliated with the Supreme Judicial Council, announced today, Tuesday, the completion of the interrogation phase concerning the case of 5,704 defendants from ISIS elements transferred from northeastern Syria to Iraq. It confirmed the transition to the trial phase, referring them to the substantive court, each according to the evidence and facts accumulated in their cases.
The media center of the Supreme Judicial Council stated in a statement received by the news agency that initial investigations began in February 2026 and continued through interrogations and evidence checks until all files were completed, noting that the defendants belong to 67 different nationalities (16 Arab, 19 from European Union countries, and 32 other foreign), including 474 Iraqis and 3,497 Syrians.
The statement clarified that the investigations revealed highly dangerous elements and first-tier leaders who undertook leadership, security, military, media, financial, and logistical roles, in addition to some being involved in internationally significant crimes, including the identification of six defendants whose roles were directly linked to crimes of enslavement, detention, and trafficking of Yazidis.
The Judicial Council added that the investigative procedures were conducted in coordination with the First Karkh Court and the National Center for International Judicial Cooperation, with the participation of staff from the Ministries of Interior and Justice and the Intelligence and National Security apparatuses, as well as biometric data registration for detainees in Karkh Central Prison.
Regarding releases and independent crimes, the statement indicated the allocation of a separate track for juveniles, the release and handover of two detainees (Finnish and American) to their respective authorities, and the release of seven Iraqis due to lack of evidence, while procedures to hand over 457 Syrian detainees to the Syrian side were completed in coordination with the Syrian embassy in Baghdad.
The Council confirmed the provision of all legal and humanitarian guarantees for the defendants, through appointing lawyers in coordination with the Bar Association, providing health care, and allowing visits by the International Committee of the Red Cross and diplomatic missions to the detainees.
The statement highlighted the preparation of a courtroom for remote trials via closed-circuit television for high-security defendants, minimizing transportation risks, while the Council emphasized that the referral of defendants to the Criminal Court will occur in batches in accordance with the applicable national legislation, primarily Anti-Terrorism Law No. 13 of 2005.