Foreign ISIS fighters being held in Iraq and Syria should be repatriated and prosecuted in their home countries, the US told the UN Security Council on Monday.
The US has for years urged nations to allow foreign fighters to return home and face prosecution for crimes committed under the ISIS flag, but many countries, including France, have declined to do so.
Other countries, like Britain, have stripped accused ISIS fighters of their citizenship, making them stateless.
Deputy US representative to the UN Richard Mills told the Security Council that repatriating ISIS foreign fighters is key to stemming radicalisation at camps where they and family members are being held.
“The continued presence of thousands of ISIS foreign fighters in detention centres and their associated family members and displacement camps in Syria and Iraq must be addressed,” Mr Mills said.
He said these camps were targets for ISIS attacks and radicalisation, and that the threat posed by the group and its affiliates remained “global and critical”.
The residents are mostly in Iraqi custody or in Kurdish detention camps in north-eastern Syria.
Al Hol in north-eastern Syria is home to more than 53,000 people. Thousands have suspected ISIS ties but many came to the camp to flee the extremists.
The bodies of the two Egyptian girls were found in the overcrowded camp's sewerage system days after they went missing, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
The group said the girls had been beheaded, a form of killing frequently used by ISIS.
The US official noted that UN investigators can help in transparent prosecutions against ISIS members that will meet minimum fair trial guarantees and legal protection.
Mr Mills called for the government of Iraq to adopt legislation on international crimes, notably genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
“We have seen the terrorist group continue to use violence in Syria and Iraq and seek to refill its ranks by trying to break out captive ISIS fighters from detention centres and prisons," he said.
Several European countries have refused to repatriate adults, believing they should be tried in countries where they are accused of committing crimes.
Iraq’s representative at the UN, Muhammad Al Uloum, welcomed the fact that some member states mentioned how “important it is to repatriate some foreign fighters and their families and in front of this council.”
The UN tried to address the issue in 2018 by establishing the investigative agency with a mandate to collect criminal evidence and to identify and bring witnesses back to testify in home-country courts.
To date, the UN investigative team has provided evidence for 30 trials in 10 countries.
The head of the UN team, Christian Ritscher, said it has started collecting evidence of crimes committed against the Christian community in Mosul.
Mr Ritscher said it had identified leaders and prominent members of ISIS who took part in the attack and takeover of three mainly Christian towns in the Nineveh plains in July and August 2014.
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
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Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Company info
Company name: Entrupy
Co-founders: Vidyuth Srinivasan, co-founder/chief executive, Ashlesh Sharma, co-founder/chief technology officer, Lakshmi Subramanian, co-founder/chief scientist
Based: New York, New York
Sector/About: Entrupy is a hardware-enabled SaaS company whose mission is to protect businesses, borders and consumers from transactions involving counterfeit goods.
Initial investment/Investors: Entrupy secured a $2.6m Series A funding round in 2017. The round was led by Tokyo-based Digital Garage and Daiwa Securities Group's jointly established venture arm, DG Lab Fund I Investment Limited Partnership, along with Zach Coelius.
Total customers: Entrupy’s customers include hundreds of secondary resellers, marketplaces and other retail organisations around the world. They are also testing with shipping companies as well as customs agencies to stop fake items from reaching the market in the first place.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
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THE SPECS
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
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Top speed: 250kph
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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