This report represents the Genocide Prosecution Network’s commitment to supporting legal response to, and prosecution of, foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) and female returnees. It builds on its 2020 report Cumulative prosecution of foreign terrorist fighters for core international crimes and terrorism-related offences, which emphasises the importance of prosecuting FTFs for both terrorism-related offences and core international crimes (war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of genocide).

The report supports the efforts of national authorities in ensuring that all crimes committed by members of the Islamic State (ISIS) and other affiliate terrorist groups are prosecuted, advancing full criminal accountability and justice for victims. Its primary objective is to provide practitioners in the EU and other countries with key legal insights and practical examples to facilitate their work. The report further serves as a resource for practitioners, academics and professionals in the field, offering key legal insights from leading jurisprudence.

While the focus of the report is primarily on FTFs and female returnees linked to ISIS in Syria and Iraq, its findings can also be applied to other contexts where terrorist groups are also armed groups party to a non-international armed conflict.