On 2-3 June 2026, the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law (IIJ) convened an Operational Dialogue on International Judicial Cooperation and Evidence Sharing in Counter-Terrorism Cases Involving Iraq in The Hague, the Netherlands, with the support of the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and in partnership with Iraq’s National Centre for International Judicial Cooperation (NCIJC).
The Dialogue brought together 40 senior criminal justice practitioners from Iraq and 11 jurisdictions across Europe, Canada, and Australia, alongside representatives from key international and regional actors, including Eurojust, Europol, and INTERPOL.
Held at a pivotal moment for international counter-terrorism cooperation, as Iraq's justice system faces growing operational demands following large-scale transfers of ISIS/Da'esh-linked detainees from northeast Syria, the Dialogue responded to some of the most pressing challenges in active terrorism-related proceedings: getting foreign-gathered evidence to stand up in court, formulating and responding to mutual legal assistance requests, and ensuring complex cross-border investigations do not stall.
Over two days, participants examined the NCIJC's mandate and cooperation frameworks, heard from practitioners across multiple jurisdictions on their experience handling foreign-gathered evidence in national proceedings, and discussed the legal and practical dimensions of witness testimony, cumulative charging, and the processing of digital and technology-derived evidence in cross-border terrorism cases.
Opening remarks by HMA Chris Rampling CMG MBE, British Ambassador to the Netherlands; Judge Ali Hussein Chfat Al-Tameemi, President of the NCIJC; and IIJ Executive Secretary Naoufel Gaied.
The Dialogue concluded with a shared commitment to deepen operational cooperation and strengthen the foundations for more efficient, reliable, and legally robust evidence sharing between Iraq and international partners.
Moving forward, the IIJ remains committed to supporting Iraq and partner jurisdictions in translating these discussions into sustained improvements in international judicial cooperation.