Acceleration of Daesh Members’ Release from Turkish Prisons: What’s the Link with the Regime Change in Syria?

1st January 2025

2 minutes read

Acceleration of Daesh Members' Release from Turkish Prisons: What’s the Link with the Regime Change in Syria?

A recent wave of releases of individuals accused of financing and supporting Daesh in Turkey has sparked significant controversy. Turkish police and the judiciary, heavily controlled by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan‘s government, have arrested many Daesh suspects, but only a few have been convicted, ultimately leading to the release of most detainees.

Turkish media reports suggest that these releases might be linked to demands or negotiations with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group comprising former fighters from Al-Qaeda and Daesh, which played a pivotal role in the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

In one case involving 19 defendants, 18 were released pending trial, while the remaining detainee applied for Turkish citizenship and paid a $500,000 bail, according to the Arab Center for Extremism Studies, as reported by Nordic Monitor.

The site noted that the pattern of releasing suspects in Daesh-related cases is not new in Turkey. In numerous instances, individuals accused of serious terrorism-related crimes have been released due to alleged “lack of evidence” or “procedural delays.” Additionally, some convictions were overturned on appeal.

Observers believe that these practices reflect broader issues within the Turkish judicial system, including political interference and a lack of thorough investigative processes.

Despite these shortcomings, Turkey successfully secured its removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list in June 2024. However, the recent release of suspects linked to Daesh‘s financing network has once again raised concerns about the seriousness of these efforts. Critics claim that these actions were aimed more at appeasing international bodies than genuinely addressing the issue of terrorism financing.

This development follows a similar decision last week in another case, where suspects linked to the Atatürk Airport terrorist attack were released. On December 12, six of the seven individuals convicted of involvement in the Atatürk Airport bombing in Istanbul on June 28, 2016, were released following a ruling by the Turkish Court of Cassation. The attack, carried out by three Daesh militants, resulted in 45 deaths and 236 injuries.

President Erdoğan had previously secured the release of imprisoned members of the Turkish Hezbollah in exchange for political support, according to the Arab Center for Extremism Studies.

Since 2014, Erdoğan has forged an alliance with the political wing of Hezbollah, the Free Cause Party (HÜDA PAR), during national and local elections, although the deal remained secret, with no public acknowledgment or official documentation. In exchange for HÜDA PAR’s support, Erdoğan facilitated the release of all convicted Hezbollah terrorists, including murderers serving life sentences for killing 91 people in Turkey during the 1990s and early 2000s. In the 2023 general elections, HÜDA PAR gained five parliamentary seats under Erdoğan’s ruling party list.