Mass ISIS transfers threaten Iraq’s overburdened prisons
Shafaq News– Baghdad
The transfer of ISIS detainees from camps in northeastern Syria to Iraq could place extreme pressure on the country’s already overcrowded prisons, the Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights warned on Saturday.
Speaking to Shafaq News, Mustafa Saadoun, head of the observatory, assessed that the success of the transfers hinges primarily on prisons’ capacity to absorb detainees through modern isolation and classification mechanisms, cautioning that overcrowding levels could exceed 300%.
He urged Iraqi authorities to prioritize the development of rehabilitation and reform programs that uphold the rule of law and shield social stability from ideological spillover resulting from the improper mixing of prisoners.
“Detention facilities suffer from severe infrastructure deterioration,” Saadoun added, noting that inmates are often forced to sleep in shifts in narrow, poorly ventilated corridors without sunlight, turning prisons into breeding grounds for contagious diseases such as scabies and tuberculosis.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) began earlier this month a “safe and systematic” transfer of around 7,000 ISIS detainees from northeastern Syria to “secure” facilities in Iraq, a move CENTCOM characterized as coordinated and agreed upon with Iraqi authorities.
More than a week later, fewer than 500 detainees have been transferred, according to Iraqi officials cited by Reuters. Baghdad requested a slowdown to gain time to negotiate with foreign governments over the repatriation of their nationals and to prepare additional detention facilities. Several governments, the official added, remain reluctant to take back their citizens because of potential political and legal repercussions at home.
Iraqi officials have also warned that accepting the full number could overwhelm the judicial system, particularly as many foreign fighters could face the death penalty under Iraqi law.
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