At the end of August, two women from Bærum were charged in the terror case against them. The sisters were brought back to Norway last year. Before repatriation, the Norwegian citizens lived for four years in detention camps in north-east Syria. Accusations have come from these camps that the sisters functioned as IS’s feared morality police. The sisters have rejected this. – Our own investigation has also uncovered activities in the camp. Investigations and investigations in the Kurdish camps would have been both desirable and relevant, says state attorney Marit Formo to news. AP These are the accusations A number of government officials and women claim the sisters have punished women who have not followed IS’s ideology in the camps. The sisters reject everything as untrue. Swipe to see more. Avin Sheikmous Said the sisters created fear Commander Destin of the militia YPG said other women reported that they were afraid of the sisters, because the Norwegians are said to have warned to “break with IS’s path”. Avin Sheikmous – Among the extreme The bureaucrat Khaled Abed al-Hamid said the authorities had information that the two sisters were among the extreme women in the camps. – They attacked some women in the camps and carried out riots, he claimed. Avin Sheikmous Said women who did not cover up were attacked Camp chief Rashid Omar said the sisters were part of a group that attacked women who deviated from the practical and moral rules they believed applied. – They attacked women in the market who did not cover their faces. Those from Norway were also there, claimed the camp commander. Najef Ali Said she feared the sisters A young woman in camp Roj says she feared the Norwegian citizens – and claimed that the oldest of them threatened and beat her. – Before they left, the elder said to me: “Even if you go to your home country, we have sleeping cells. We can take you anywhere”. The NTB Sisters reject everything Defenders Geir Lippestad and Hilde Firman Fjellså rejected all the allegations, and said that it was very dangerous for the sisters to express their opposition to IS in the camps. – There are mostly allegations from anonymous sources who may have other reasons for making these accusations. Those who come forward with names refer to claims from other sources that are neither documented nor verified, wrote Fjellså. The Ministry of Justice involved Oslo police district and PST have in recent months investigated three different women for violations of terrorism legislation. In all the cases, it has been relevant to take investigative steps in north-east Syria. Earlier this year, the higher prosecuting authority in one of these cases therefore contacted the Ministry of Justice to clarify whether this could happen. The conclusion was that the investigation steps could not be carried out. – For the time being, we have considered it so that we cannot send a legal request to Kurdish self-government authorities because they are not recognized as a separate state, says Attorney General Formo at the National Attorney General’s Office about questioning witnesses in the camps. She clarifies that the prosecution has not taken up all its requests for investigative steps in the area with the Ministry of Justice. THE INDICTMENTS: State Attorney Marit Formo has decided to indict the sisters from Bærum for participation in the terrorist organization IS. Photo: Mohammed Alayoubi / news – Do you see anything suspicious about the fact that the Norwegian authorities do not have the opportunity to make inquiries in the camps where the sisters stayed for several years? – No, but for the investigation’s part, it would have been an advantage to be able to carry out investigative steps in the area. The public prosecutor points out that the eldest sister is charged with having “handled incidents and reactions” against women who were considered enemies of IS in the Al Hol camp. – If you had the opportunity to question witnesses, we could have investigated more closely the content of the activities and the scope, says Formo. The eldest sister denies that she had such a role. Neither of the two plead guilty. WANT TO QUESTION: In the Al Hol camp, the prosecution believes that the eldest sister must have “handled incidents and reactions” against women who were considered enemies of IS. Therefore, PST wanted to make inquiries in the area. Photo: Delil Souleiman / AFP The Ministry of Justice writes to news that the ministry will not comment on individual cases. – When it comes to cooperation with authorities that are not recognized as states, this becomes a complicating element, and it is not a given that Norwegian authorities can cooperate with them in the usual way, the ministry writes on a general basis. Who rules northeast Syria? In July 2012, Kurdish militias took control of northeastern Syria. This happened in connection with the civil war in Syria. President Bashar Al Assad chose not to attack the Kurds. In November 2013, the militia declared that Rojava had been established. The area is managed by a separate administration, but is not recognized by Syria or internationally. In connection with the self-declared state formation, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) was established. The SDF is a military alliance, which was established in October 2015. It is dominated by the Kurdish military force YPG and YPJ. The SDF has been central in the fight against IS. The SDF is supported by, among others, the United States. (Source: Store norske lexikon) – We have been lazy Parts of the area that PST has wanted to interrogate were previously controlled by IS. The UN has established that IS was behind international crimes when they controlled large areas in Iraq and Syria. This happened, among other things, by girls and women being abducted and subjected to rape and torture. IS has also been behind several massacres, which the UN believes may have been committed with the intention of committing genocide. In Norway, no foreign fighters have been convicted of such crimes. A consistent feature of the Norwegian cases is that the persons have been convicted for having participated in IS, not for what they have actually done while fighting for a terrorist organisation. Investigating participation is faster and less complicated than investigating international crimes, points out international law expert Cecilie Hellestveit. EXPERT: Lawyer and social scientist Cecilie Hellestveit at the Folkerettsinstituttet. Photo: Jonas Been Henriksen / news The advantage is that Norway shows dynamism by having fast processes against the jihadists. The disadvantages are that you cannot convict those responsible for, for example, genocide, Hellestveit believes. – In Norway, we have chosen the easiest and cheapest way out. It is not certain that it is the wisest in the long term, she says to news. – The Islamic State committed genocide against the Yezidis in the legal sense, but Norway has done nothing to see if the Norwegian foreign fighters have participated in it. Here we have simply been lazy, says Hellestveit. – Extremely sensitive case It is now the Kurdish self-governing authorities that govern the area the accused sisters stayed in. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have controlled just under a third of Syria for well over ten years. SYRIA: In July 2012, Kurdish militia took control of an area in northeastern Syria. This happened in connection with the civil war in Syria. The following year, the area of Rojava was declared an autonomous region. Neither the Syrian authorities nor other countries recognize the area as a separate state. (Source: UN/SNL) The self-appointed authorities have been central in the fight against IS, and the US supports them militarily. Norway has also cooperated with the Kurdish authorities, including in connection with the repatriation of several Norwegian citizens and their children. But asking for help in an investigation is another matter, says international law expert Hellestveit about the Ministry of Justice’s clarification. – If Norway had formally addressed a legal request to the Kurds, it would have been a form of recognition, says Hellestveit. – Is it possible to send a legal request to the Kurds in understanding with the regime in Damascus? – There will be a situation where Damascus instructs the Kurdish authorities, and they will not accept that. The issue of coercive power is so central to both the Kurds and the Assad regime in ongoing negotiations, so this investigation could be an extremely sensitive matter. Hellestveit believes that the Norwegian authorities end up with insufficient evidence when they cannot cooperate with those who have the witnesses in their custody. – In any case, I think the Norwegian authorities should try to secure access anyway, even if it is difficult to find optimal solutions, says Hellestveit about the investigation of the two women from Bærum. Published 05.09.2024, at 16.16
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Wanted to take investigative steps in Syria – the ministry said no – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
