Lecture, Barnard's Inn Hall, Thursday, 5 Nov 2026 - 18:00

Guantanamo on the Euphrates: What Next for Detainees in Syria?

A close-up photograph of a colourful political map focusing on the Middle East, showing labelled countries including Syria, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, and Kuwait, along with major cities like Baghdad, Damascus, and Tehran

For ten years, men, women and children (including Shamima Begum, trafficked from London at 15) have been confined in camps in northeast Syria, often at the behest of the U.K. and its allies. As Assad’s regime collapses, many are fleeing. But where can they go, when many have had their passports revoked? Men such as Jack Letts spent years in secret prisons before being transferred en masse to Iraq, where the U.S. funds their incarceration and trials involving torture and the death penalty.

In this lecture, Professor Clive Stafford Smith reports on his recent visits to Syria and Iraq, attempting to reunite these detainees with the rule of law.

Clive Stafford Smith JD OBE

Professor Clive Stafford Smith JD OBE

Gresham Professor of Law

Clive Stafford Smith JD OBE is a dual UK-US national, the founder and director of  the Justice League a non-profit human rights training centre...

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