House of Lords to Debate the Daesh Inquiry Report

On 9 September 2025, the House of Lords (in the Grand Committee) will debate the Joint Committee on Human Rights’ (JCHR) Daesh Inquiry Report. The report is available on the website of the JCHR.

A few key highlights of the report: 

• Zero successful prosecutions in UK courts for international crimes committed in Syria and Iraq by Daesh 

• Investigation and prosecution require better coordination – changes needed 

• The government has a responsibility to repatriate British children held in camps in North East Syria 

The Joint Committee calls on the Government to: 

• Develop a coherent framework to ensure that the UK’s investigating and prosecuting bodies, including the Crown Prosecution Service and the police, are better coordinated in evidence gathering and carrying out investigations.

• Step up efforts to identify British nationals currently held in camps in Syria. Where there is sufficient evidence that international crimes were committed, they should be prosecuted.

• Change the law to abolish the restrictions on the principle of universal jurisdiction as enshrined in the International Criminal Court Act 2001, including the proposed amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill, currently being debated by Parliament.

See a briefing from the Coalition for Genocide Response here: