Perspectives on Justice: Reintegrating Former ISIS Affiliates in Northeast Syria

In the aftermath of ISIS’s territorial defeat, over 56,000 alleged affiliates were detained in Northeast Syria, including 14,500 women and 30,000 children held in Al-Hol and Roj camps, as well as 11,500 men held in the formal prison system. As of June 2024, over five years later, more than 53,000 of these individuals are still detained. While there is increasing consensus that this situation is not sustainable and that Al-Hol and Roj camps must be closed, how this will be achieved remains unclear. Moreover, policy discussions too often take place outside of Syria, ignoring the preferences and concerns of local communities who were directly victimized by ISIS’s violence and will be responsible for reintegrating former ISIS affiliates when and if they are released.