BAGHDAD, IRAQ (HRNW) — Amnesty International is urging Iraqi authorities to guarantee fair-trial protections for more than 5,700 people transferred from detention facilities in northeast Syria, including at least 157 juveniles.
In a statement published on October 2, Amnesty said the group includes 5,704 people from 67 countries who were transferred to Iraq between late January and February 2026.
The individuals are being prosecuted over suspected affiliation with the armed group calling itself Islamic State.
Amnesty said the group includes nationals from Arab countries, European Union member states and other countries.
The organization’s appeal comes ahead of a further trial session scheduled for October 5.
Amnesty said every defendant must receive an individual assessment of the evidence and full due-process protections.
The organization warned against mass prosecutions, forced confessions and procedures that fail to establish individual criminal responsibility.
It also called for special safeguards for children, saying juveniles should not be prosecuted merely because of alleged association with an armed group.
Amnesty referred to previous cases in which Iraqi courts relied on confessions that detainees said had been obtained through torture or ill-treatment.
The organization has documented allegations of beatings, electric shocks, forced stress positions and suffocation in detention cases involving people transferred from northeast Syria.
Amnesty urged Iraqi authorities to exclude evidence obtained through torture and investigate allegations of abuse.
It also called for prompt access to legal counsel, qualified interpreters and public hearings.
The organization noted that proceedings could carry the death penalty under Iraq’s counterterrorism framework, making fair-trial protections especially consequential.
Amnesty opposes the death penalty in all circumstances and urged Iraqi authorities not to impose or carry out death sentences.
The transfers followed years of detention in northeast Syria, where tens of thousands of men, women and children were held after the territorial defeat of Islamic State, according to Amnesty.
The organization said the condition of detainees in those facilities had included overcrowding, inadequate food and limited healthcare.
Amnesty called on Iraq to ensure that prosecutions comply with international human-rights standards and that children’s rights are protected throughout the proceedings.
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Disclaimer
This article is based on Amnesty International’s October 2, 2026 statement. The number and nationalities of transferred detainees, allegations concerning past detention conditions and concerns about trial procedures are attributed to Amnesty and its cited sources. The allegations have not been independently verified by HRNW.
