Two female IS fighters brought back for trial in the Netherlands

Two female IS fighters and their children have been transferred from Syria to the Netherlands for trial by a Dutch judge. Outgoing Minister of Justice and Security Dilan Yeşilgöz (VVD) and outgoing Minister of Foreign Affairs Minister Hanke Bruins Slot (CDA) wrote this in a letter to Parliament on Tuesday.

The Dutch women traveled to Syria when Islamic State (IS) was active there and are suspected of terrorist crimes. Since 2019, IS no longer has any territory in Syria. IS fighters have been held in camps under the rule of a Kurdish militia called the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The SDF are supported by the United States and control northern Syria.

American operation

On Tuesday, the United States carried out the most extensive repatriation to date, according to a White House statement. As part of the operation, the United States managed to repatriate eleven prisoners from Kurdish camps to Canada, Finland and the Netherlands, and eleven to the United States. The two women and their children were part of this group.

“By transferring them to the Netherlands, the government aims to prevent these two suspects from remaining impunity,” the ministers write in the letter to Parliament. The Netherlands does not pursue an active policy regarding the recovery of Dutch jihadists. According to the General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD), about a hundred Dutch travelers are still in Syria, Iraq or Turkey. A third of them are said to be in Syrian Kurdish camps or detention centers.

Also read
The chamber would prefer that IS members be tried in the region

A number of travelers were repatriated following a court decision in 2021, when the first Syria traveler brought back to the Netherlands was tried. The judge decided that the suspect would not be prosecuted further if he was not brought to the Netherlands to attend the trial. In November 2022, the Netherlands brought back twelve more women and 28 children. The children were, just like now, handed over to the Child Protection Board.

To share

Email the editor