Resolving the Detainee Dilemma I: What Next for the Men, Women & Children of Islamic State

A major two-day conference aimed at finding solutions to the thousands of ISIS prisoners detained in north-eastern Syria will take place at King’s College London 16-17 June.

Resolving the Detainee Dilemma I: What Next for the Men, Women & Children of Islamic State is first of two major transatlantic conferences on the issue of ISIS detainees, organised by the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) at King’s, in partnership with the Middle East Institute in Washington DC. The second conference will take place in Washington on 13 July.

The conference is the first serious attempt to resolve the dilemma of what to do with the thousands of ISIS fighters, women and children still detained in prison. It will feature high-level keynote speakers and conversations, moderated by prominent public figures. Alongside panels featuring policymakers, diplomats and experts in counterterrorism and international law, keynote speakers include President Macron’s special envoy, Professor Gilles Kepel, Anthony Loyd, the Times journalist who first discovered Shamima Begum in an ISIS camp in Syria, and Omar Mohammed, a historian from Mosul, known until recently as the anonymous blogger 'Mosul Eye'.

This event takes place on 16-17 June at Bush House, King's College London and is open to the public. Please register via the ICSR website.

Throughout the conference we will be offering opportunities to participate in Nobody’s Listening: The Forgotten Voices of Sinjar; a ground-breaking virtual reality experience that transports viewers to northern Iraq using a blend of 360-degree documentary film-making, stunning Yazidi artwork and the latest virtual reality technology. A unique branching narrative set in Kocho village, Sinjar, enables users to hear from a young Yazidi woman abducted and sexually enslaved by ISIS, from her brother who survives a massacre, and from an ISIS fighter who attacks the village.

Conference programme*

Thursday, June 16th

13:30-14:00 Arrival and registration of participants

14:00-14:10 Welcome from Dr Shiraz Maher, ICSR

14:10-14:20 Welcome from Charles Lister, Middle East Institute

14:20-15:20 Session 1: In Conversation with Omar Mohammed, Mosul Eye

15:20-16:35 Session 2: Prosecuting Foreign Fighters

• Tanya Mehra LL.M, International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – The Hague
• Reena Devgun, Swedish National Public Prosecution Department

16:35-17:35 Session 3: ‘in conversation’, guests TBC

Friday, June 17th

08:30-09:00 Arrival and registration of participants

09:00-10:00 Session 4: In Conversation with Anthony Loyd, The Times

10:00-11:15 Session 5: The Women of Islamic State

• Professor Caron Gentry, Northumbria University

11:15-12:15 Session 6: ‘in conversation’, guests TBC

12:15-13:30 Session 7: Managing Terrorist Offenders

• Thomas Renard, International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – The Hague
• Representative, Dutch National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security
• David Wells, United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate

13:30-14:30 Sandwich lunch provided

14:30-15:45 Session 8: Effective Ways of Disengaging and Reintegrating the ‘Cubs of the Caliphate’

• Alexandra Martins, UNODC Global Programme to End Violence Against Children
• Lejdi Dervishi, Albanian CVE Coordination Center
• Anita Perešin, Office of the National Security Council of the Republic of Croatia

15:45-17:00 Session 9: Rehabilitating Returnees: Best Practices

• Dr Haid Haid, Chatham House
• Kaan Mustafa Orhon, Grüner Vogel. e.V.

17:00-17:30 Session 10: Closing keynote remarks from Professor Gilles Kepel, Special Envoy of the President of the French Republic

17:30-17:35 Closing remarks from Dr Shiraz Maher, ICSR

*Please note this is a working programme and will continue to be updated ahead of the conference