On 25-26 July 2024, the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law (IIJ) – with the generous support of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Counterterrorism – was delighted to host a Forum on Improving International Cooperation for ISIS Prosecutions in Valletta, Malta. The event brought together 30 prosecutors, investigators, trial judges and criminal justice experts to create connections and enhance cooperation on the prosecution and adjudication of ISIS terrorist defendants, including those returning or being repatriated from conflict zones (FTFs).
Building upon the IIJ’s multi-year effort to build inter-agency approaches to the complex challenges associated with repatriating, prosecuting, rehabilitating, and reintegrating FTFs returning from Northeast Syria, this important and timely initiative focused on increasing communication and information-sharing to counter bureaucratic and logistic challenges that can bog down international cooperation for the prosecution of ISIS crimes. During the two-day event, criminal justice practitioners from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Germany, Iraq, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Türkiye and the United States discussed their legal frameworks for sharing information, current repatriation and prosecution caseloads, challenges in gathering and sharing evidence as well as best practices to safeguard human rights throughout the investigation and prosecution process. Experts and partners from the International Centre for Counterterrorism (ICCT), United Nations Iraq, United Nations Office of Counter Terrorism (UNOCT), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the U.S. Department of Justice also showcased examples of interagency collaboration and information-sharing protocols and resources.
Ten years following the peak of ISIS violence, the IIJ recognizes the importance of supporting criminal justice practitioners from around the world to bring these fighters to justice within a rule of law framework. While it is crucial that ISIS terrorist defendants are tried for the crimes they have committed, prosecutors can only charge, and judges can only adjudicate, cases that are supported by evidence. Workshops like this Forum on Improving International Cooperation for ISIS Prosecutions are therefore vital to ensure that all relevant information is carefully documented and shared amongst relevant stakeholders so it can be used as evidence in the prosecution and adjudication of ISIS terrorist suspects in their country of origin.