U.N.'s Bachelet says 55,000 linked to IS in Syria and Iraq should be tried or freed

GENEVA (Reuters) - U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said on Monday that 55,000 former Islamic State fighters, including foreigners, and their families detained in Syria and Iraq should face fair prosecution or be freed.

States "must assume responsibility for their nationals" and should not inflict statelessness on fighters' children who have already suffered so much, Bachelet told the U.N. Human Rights Council as it opened a three-week session in Geneva.

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay, editing by Tom Miles)