Families of ISIS suspects are stuck in limbo

▶ In north-eastern Syria, children of extremist parents live in appalling conditions

Last Thursday, the UN counter-terrorism chief said that 700 people had died in the camps of Al Hol and Roj from lack of food and medicine. Humanitarian workers have described the camps as “perilously overcrowded”, according to the International Crisis Group.

For more than a year, nearly 70,000 people in Al Hol, mostly families of ISIS members, have been living in an open-air prison. There is no trial in sight to end their plight, should they be found not guilty, or to hold them to account for any crimes they may have committed.

The first people to suffer from inhumane detention are children, who constitute more than half of the camp’s population. They are victims of extremist parents, now paying for crimes they did not commit.

ISIS lost control of its last Syrian bastion in March, but the group once controlled a vast territory spanning parts of Iraq and Syria. Its reign of violence and dispossession is over, but there is a risk that the group might stage a resurgence.

The hardships of camp dwellers echo those of ISIS suspects in prisons run by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in Syrian Kurdistan, none of whom have been tried.

About 12,000 men and boys suspected of ISIS affiliation are held by Kurdish authorities, who also manage Al Hol and Roj camps. Photographs of the detained depict emaciated figures sitting in overcrowded cells. In May, ISIS suspects rioted, with some holding placards demanding that their rights be respected. It may seem hypocritical for suspected terrorists to plead for human rights. Yet none of the jailed had a chance to defend themselves. Some may be innocent.

The SDF have repeatedly asked western countries to repatriate 12,000 foreign extremists holed up in camps and prisons. The group does not have the capacity to hold fair trials for terrorism suspects, nor can it hold them and their families indefinitely.

In February, Kurdish authorities warned they would hold trials for suspected terrorists with or without western support, but the plan fell through.

Western countries should repatriate their citizens, who have been radicalised at home before wreaking havoc abroad, and have them face justice.

Many of the detained are family members of ISIS suspects who may not have committed any crimes. But instead of helping them through deradicalisation and rehabilitation programmes, delayed justice and continued violations of their rights are likely to fuel anger and resentment, laying the groundwork for an ISIS resurgence.

For justice to happen, Syria needs to be a stable country with solid institutions. President Bashar Al Assad has, however, blocked any attempt at peace. He refuses to step down and rejects negotiations with a now-armed opposition. As a result, the lives of tens of thousands are stuck in limbo.

The West must repatriate its homegrown terrorists and help local authorities provide the detained with better living conditions. Most importantly, the world must press for a political solution. If it fails to do so, extremism is bound to increase.