I say, all women and men who left Finland to join the Islamonazis in the then ISIS caliphate, have forfeited their Finnish citizenship, and any children born after they left, are not Finns at all.
In other words, not our problem.
Will women in al-Hol camp be held on trial in Syria? “Foreign Minister” of the Kurdish Administration to Yle: We are beginning to try foreign Isis criminals
So far, the Kurdish regime in north-east Syria has said that they do not intend to try foreigners. Now they are ready for it.
QAMISHLI Abdulkarim Omar is clearly indignant at the inaction of European countries. Omar, responsible for external relations in the Northeast Syrian Autonomous Region, has been touring European countries for six months to insist on two things.
Firstly, that different countries should repatriate their citizens from al-Hol camp. Al-Hol, in the Kurdish region of north-east Syria, has about ten thousand foreign women and children, some of whom are from the European Union.
Secondly, the Kurdish regime has called for the establishment of an international criminal court in north-east Syria. The Kurds also maintain prisons with thousands of foreign Isis prisoners.
Neither goal has progressed.
“That’s why we have a new plan,” says Omar.
The Kurdish administration is now planning to prosecute foreign male prisoners on the ground in north-east Syria without an International Criminal Court.
Of the women in the al-Hol camp, those who have committed crimes or who have been proven to have been involved in Isis groups, such as the moral police in hisba, would be prosecuted in the Kurdish area.
– We are going to make quick progress on the plan. We want to start prosecuting in two months’ time, says Abdulkarim Omar.
According to Omar, women who have not been involved in Isis’ activities would be acquitted. Omar hopes the countries of origin will repatriate these women and their children.
– Women with blood in their hands are not being surrendered to their home countries before trial. Women who are not guilty are handed over to their homeland with their children.
Do the countries of origin agree to cooperate?
However, there is a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the plan. According to Omar, the trials would be conducted in cooperation with the accused countries of origin.
The new court would be like a lighter version of the international court. When a citizen of a country is convicted, the local court would cooperate with the country of origin, Omar explains.
– For example, if we prosecute a Finnish woman from al-Hol camp, we want Finnish lawyers to defend their citizens. We want Finland to cooperate on prosecutions as well.
Do you negotiate with the Finnish authorities on this?
– The decision to prosecute is a new one. We are now starting a dialogue with the countries that have citizens here. One of them is Finland. We will discuss with them how to proceed and how to prosecute in cooperation with Finland.
What all the cooperation entails remains somewhat unclear. It is not clear in the interview whether Finland has already been contacted about possible litigation, but before the interview, Omar mentions that he is likely to come to Finland as well.
Omar says that if Finland refuses to cooperate, Finns can hardly be prosecuted in the Kurdish area.
The Kurds also want to send their convicted home
It is important for the Kurdish administration that the perpetrators are convicted, but also that they return to their home countries. There are no resources in the Kurdish area to maintain and guard them indefinitely.
– We cannot handle this burden alone. The international community, especially European countries, has failed in its duty, Omar says.
According to him, local laws prevent family break-ups if the mother has not been convicted. When mothers are convicted, the situation is different, but that too must be negotiated with the countries of origin.
– We hope that sentenced women will also be returned to their home countries to carry out their sentences.
Omar does not comment on the situation of Finnish women
Abdulkarim Omar does not want to comment on whether any Finnish women would be brought to justice if one were to be set up.
– We have units that investigate these issues. You have to ask them, Omar says.
The Autonomous Region’s SDF and the US Defense Forces and Intelligence have gathered much evidence of Isis’ activities in Syria.
There are about 40 Finns in the Al-Hol camp: a dozen women and about 30 children. Two orphans were evacuated from the camp to Finland before Christmas.
Kurds hold foreign Isis fighters in prisons in secret places. Above, it is not certain whether there are Finnish men in these prisons. Two persons have information that could not be verified.
