Chris Engels ’04 Publishes Op-ed in The Hill

Chris Engels '04, Deputy Director for Investigations and Operations for the Commission for International Justice and Accountability (CIJA), published an op-ed in The Hill regarding the need for authorities to gather evidence of crimes and atrocities by members of ISIS as part of the Trump administration’s overall plan to defeat the terrorist organization.

If captured ISIS fighters are held in prolonged detention without trial or quickly convicted in “fast-tracked show trials,” such actions will aid ISIS recruitment efforts by feeding into a narrative that depicts its members as being persecuted for their religious beliefs, Engels writes. The United States needs to gather trial-worthy evidence and conduct fair and open trials, writes Engels, who as part of CIJA has helped to gather evidence of atrocities in Syria.

“Not only does securing evidence of criminal activity now allow for the proper prosecution of these individuals abroad, it also ensures support for attorney general nominee Jeff Sessions’ stated top priority at the Department of Justice: protecting the American people from terrorism,” Engels writes.