METHODOLOGY 7 1. This report is the first of two reports by RSI to address the situation of detained in al Hol and Roj camps in North East Syria. 2. The second report to be titled, ‘Closing Europe’s Guantanamo,’ will draw on the factual findings in this first report, as well as additional desk and field research, to provide a more detailed legal and gender analysis, and to address the policies and practices of European States with respect to those returning from the camps. 3. The findings of this report are based on extensive research conducted between November 2019 and November 2020 by RSI. RSI’s analysis in this report focuses on nationals of five countries – Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom (‘UK’) – and the implications of their situation for the governments of those nations. The reason for this is two-fold: first, nationals of these five Western European countries are among the most represented among the women and children currently detained in the camps of North East Syria; and second, the primary focus of RSI’s existing expertise relates to the legal and policy arrangements of the UK and Western Europe. 4. While access to the al Hol and Roj camps is limited to external observers, RSI visited each camp twice in February 2020 with authority from camp officials. RSI interviewed 21 European women inside their tented accommodation and in areas surrounding their accommodation, as well as camp officials and politicians in North East Syria. Further, RSI conducted interviews from November 2019 to November 2020 in Syria, Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, and the United States with 72 people, including a girl previously detained who was repatriated in June 2019, 27 immediate family relatives of women and children detained, lawyers, European government officials, officials in North East Syria, NGO and humanitarian organisation staff, security and counter-terrorism experts, psychologists, and academics. 5. All interviewees were informed of the purpose of the interview and how their information might be used. None received compensation or other financial incentives. All interviews were conducted live, but due to interviewees’ availability, interviews were conducted variously in person, by phone, and by messaging applications. Interviews were conducted directly in English and French, and a translator engaged by RSI provided translation from Kurdish to English where necessary. 6. This report also draws on extensive desk research conducted by RSI in relevant domestic and international legal standards, case law, and commentary, and advice received from UK-based leading academics and barristers specializing in public international law, international humanitarian law, and international human rights law. RIGHTS & SECURITY INTERNATIONAL