The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) announced its decision to begin the trial of over 10 thousand ISIS members.

AANES stated that their decision was made in consideration of the fact that their repeated appeals to the international community to bring the criminal ISIS mercenaries to justice have remained inconclusive.

The statement released by AANES on Saturday includes the following:

“Over the past years, the world has witnessed how the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) confronted and fought the terrorist organization ISIS in northern and eastern Syria, starting from Kobani to Al-Baghouz and passing through the capital of their alleged caliphate, Raqqa. ISIS, which represents the most dangerous international terrorist organization, committed the most heinous crimes and massacres against the people of the region.

Terrorists of more than 60 nationalities, who entered Syrian territory through Turkish territory with the support and supervision of the Ankara government, committed war crimes against humanity and are responsible for thousands of disappearances and the destruction of our cities and their infrastructure.

Our forces represented by the SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) managed to defeat ISIS geographically with the support of the Global Coalition to Fight DAESH (ISIS), during which we made great sacrifices, which cost 15,000 martyrs and more than 25,000 wounded.

In the last stronghold of ISIS, in Al-Baghouz, more than ten thousand dangerous fighters from the organization were arrested, and they are now in the detention centers of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North-East Syria. In addition to that is the presence of tens of thousands of their family members, most of whom are children and women, who are now residing in the camps of northern and eastern Syria.

Since the first days of the end of the Al-Baghouz battle and its aftermath, the Autonomous Administration has repeatedly called on the international community to fulfill its responsibilities in finding solutions to the file of ISIS elements detained there. AANES put forward initiatives for all concerned countries and human rights and international organizations to form an international tribunal, or an international court, in order to try ISIS elements in accordance with the evidence and irrefutable documents available to the AANES institutions, and to sentence them for committing, along with their supporters, the most horrific terrorist crimes against the people and components of the region.

Today, despite the great challenges, the difficulty and sensitivity of the stage, the Autonomous Administration bears a great burden as a result of these criminals remaining in detention centers without any trial for the crimes they committed against innocent people. The conditions cannot stay as they are any longer.

The failure to bring these criminals to court and justice is contrary to international laws and agreements, in addition to increasing the danger of the security situation in the event that they remain in this situation.

Because of the failure of the international community to respond to the calls and appeals of the Autonomous Administration for home countries to repatriate their citizens, and in order to achieve social justice, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria decided to start to bring the detained ISIS foreigners to fair and transparent trial in accordance with international and local laws related to terrorism, and in a way that preserves the rights of the plaintiffs among the victims and members of their families.

This does not mean that the Autonomous Administration abandons its opinion on the need to establish an international tribunal, or an international court to deal with the file of ISIS terrorists.

We are still insisting on our request to the international community to respond to our demands for the formation of an international tribunal. In this context, we call on the International Coalition to Defeat ISIS, the United Nations, relevant international human rights organizations and local organizations to engage positively, be present and provide support during all stages of trials.”