International Studies Journal (ISJ)

International Studies Journal (ISJ)

The Viability of an Ad Hoc IS Tribunal: Legal-Political Challenges, Implications and Consequences

Author
Geert Jan Alexander Knoops
Geert-Jan Alexander Knoops is Professor of Politics of International Law at the University of Amsterdam and visiting Professor of International Criminal Law at Shandong University
10.22034/isj.2026.253911
Abstract
Based on the past experiences with criminal justice institutions, this article delves into the legal and practical challenges and legal-political implications and consequences of a potential tribunal for Islamic State. The author intends to raise some critical issues around the idea of establishing an international ad hoc tribunal for (former) IS fighters. Not only should it be acknowledged that the capacity of such a tribunal will be limited, one has to also carefully consider how to determine which of the currently detained fighters are at all eligible for trial. Furthermore, the international community will have to find ways to also look into the future, beyond the difficult process of establishing an operative tribunal, and critically assess the legal-political consequences of this option.
Keywords
IS
Syria
Iraq
Tribunal
Accountability
Fighters
International Law
Laws of War
1.      BBC News. (2019, March 26). Islamic State group: Syria's Kurds call for international tribunal, Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-47704464
2.      Dinstein, Y. (2004). The conduct of hostilities under the law of international armed conflict, Cambridge University Press, 3rd Edition.
3.      Elsea, J. K and Thomas, K. (2006). Guantanamo detainees: Habeas corpus challenges in federal court. In R. D. McPhee (Ed.), The treatment of prisoners: Legal, moral or criminal?, Nova Science Publishers.
4.      Human Rights First. (2018, October 10). Guantanamo by the numbers, Available at: https://www.humanrightsfirst.org/resource/guantanamo-numbers
5.      International Court of Justice. (1986, June 27). Military and Paramilitary Activities (Nicaragua v. United States).
6.      International Criminal Court Homepage, Available at: https://www.icc-cpi.int/
7.      International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. (1997, May 7). Prosecutor v. Tadic, Case No. IT-94-1-T, Opinion and Judgment, 609.
8.      International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. (1998, November 16). Prosecutor v. Delalic et al., Case No. IT-96-21-T, Judgment, 164-74.
-        International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. (n.d.), Homepage Available at: https://www.icty.org/
9.      Knoops, G. J. A. (2006). The Proliferation of the Law of International Criminal Tribunals within Terrorism and Unlawful Combatancy Trials after Hamdan v. Rumsfeld. Fordham. Int'l LJ, 30, 599-641.
10.   Military Times. (2019, September 1). Trial in 9/11 case at Guantanamo gets early 2021 start date, Available at: https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2019/09/01/trial-in-911-case-at-guantanamo-gets-early-2021-start-date/
11.   NOS. (2019, October 29). Irak: berechting IS-strijders gaat sneller als landen het zelf doen, Available at: https://nos.nl/nieuwsuur/artikel/2308229-irak-berechting-is-strijders-gaat-sneller-als-landen-het-zelf-doen.html
12.   Open Society Justice Initiative. (2019, June 3). Letter to Minister Damberg of Sweden, Available at: https://www.justiceinitiative.org/newsroom/ngos-challenge-swedens-proposal-for-an-isis-only-war-crimes-tribunal
13.   Supreme Court. (2004, 28 June). Case No. 03-6696 (Hamdi vs Rumsfeld), 542 US 507.
14.   Supreme Court. (2004, June 28). Case No. 03-334 (Rasul v. Bush), 543 U.S. 466.
15.   Supreme Court. (2008, June 12). Case No. 06-1195 (Boumediene v. Bush), 553 U.S. 723.
16.   Swedish Government. (2019, June 3). Sweden to host expert meeting on ISIS tribunal [Press release], Available at: https://www.government.se/press-releases/2019/06/sweden-to-host-expert-meeting-on-isis-tribunal/
17.   The New York Times. (2019, October 7). Trump’s Green Light to Turkey Raises Fears About ISIS Detainees, Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/07/us/politics/isis-prisons-detainees.html
-        U.S. Department of Defense. (2004, July 7). Combatant Status Review Tribunal Fact Sheet.
18.   United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals. (n.d.). The ICTR in brief, Available at: http://unictr.irmct.org/en/tribunal
19.   Vukusic, I. (2019). Accountability in Syria: What are the Options? In A. Kurze and C. Lamont (Eds.), New critical spaces in transitional justice: Gender, art and memory, Indiana University Press.
20.   Yemen Post. (2012, November 13). Yemen refuses extraditing Guantanamo detainees to third state, Available at: http://yemenpost.net/Detail123456789.aspx?ID=3&SubID=6211&MainCat=3