Two years after the territorial defeat of ISIS in Syria and Iraq, tens of thousands of fighters and associated civilians remain in various forms of detention, with little sign of any meaningful solution to their status. Until now, few Western governments have proven willing to repatriate their citizens, choosing instead to leave them in the region, where security is weak and humanitarian conditions are dire. Multilateral efforts to determine the prospects for localized judicial mechanisms have failed, leaving behind an unsustainable crisis that threatens long-term security. The Middle East Institute (MEI) is pleased to host a panel of experts in this timely and important discussion.
This event follows MEI's publication of two associated papers on the issue:
Jannah or Jahannam: Options for Dealing with ISIS Detainees
The Challenge of Foreign Fighters: Repatriating and Prosecuting ISIS Detainees
Speakers:
Sara Kayyali
Syria researcher, Middle East and North Africa Division, Human Rights Watch
Vera Mironova
Non-resident scholar, MEI; research fellow, Harvard University; author, From Freedom Fighter to Jihadist: Non-State Armed Groups Human Resources (Oxford, 2019)
Mick Mulroy
Non-resident senior fellow; co-director, Yemen Steering Initiative, MEI; co-founder, Lobo Institute
Eric Oehlerich
Senior fellow, Technology and National Security, MEI; co-founder, Lobo Institute; retired 20+ year U.S. Navy SEAL Officer
Charles Lister, moderator
Senior fellow; director, Syria and Countering Terrorism and Extremism Programs, MEI
Photo by DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images