Iraq's top judge visits Damascus to discuss repatriation of Syrian detainees

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council president, Judge Faiq Zidan, traveled to Damascus for an official visit aimed at resolving the legal status of Syrian detainees held in Iraq, the council said. The talks focused on mechanisms for repatriating thousands of Syrians detained in Iraq on charges of Islamic State membership. Judicial Oversight Board head Judge Liyth Jubr said the discussions centered on the legal status of detainees Iraq had taken over from detention facilities in northeastern Syria, adding that legal safeguards for their rights were being ensured. The two sides agreed to establish joint judicial committees and hold regular meetings to process the detainees' files. According to the information, the two sides are close to signing a bilateral agreement covering the transfer and prosecution of the detainees. Iraq's Ministry of Justice said in February that 3,543 Syrian detainees had been transferred from Syrian Democratic Forces-run prisons to Iraqi detention facilities.