Canada to Repatriate 23 Citizens from Syria

The Kurdish-run al-Hol camp in Syria holds thousands of foreign women and children with ties to the ISIS group who are not being repatriated by their home countries. Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP
The Kurdish-run al-Hol camp in Syria holds thousands of foreign women and children with ties to the ISIS group who are not being repatriated by their home countries. Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP
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Canada to Repatriate 23 Citizens from Syria

The Kurdish-run al-Hol camp in Syria holds thousands of foreign women and children with ties to the ISIS group who are not being repatriated by their home countries. Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP
The Kurdish-run al-Hol camp in Syria holds thousands of foreign women and children with ties to the ISIS group who are not being repatriated by their home countries. Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP

Canada will repatriate twenty-three citizens who have been detained in northeast Syria in camps for family members of ISIS group fighters, officials and a lawyer said Friday.

It would be the largest such repatriation of ISIS family members yet for Canada, and it comes after the families challenged the government in court, arguing Ottawa was obliged to repatriate the group under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, AFP said.

Earlier Friday, the foreign ministry announced its decision to repatriate six Canadian women and 13 infants. And a court later ruled that four men seeking repatriation as part of the group must also be sent back to Canada, said lawyer Barbara Jackman, who is representing one of the men.

"I've spoken to the parents and they're really, really happy," Jackman said of the court decision, adding that the judge requested that the men be repatriated "as soon as reasonably possible."

The foreign ministry said in a statement: "The safety and security of Canadians is our government's top priority.

"We continue to evaluate the provision of extraordinary assistance on a case by case basis, including repatriation to Canada, in line with the policy framework adopted in 2021," it said.

Up until now the government of Justin Trudeau has treated the detained ISIS families on a case-by-case basis, and in four years only a handful of women and children have been repatriated.

Since the destruction of the so-called ISIS "caliphate" across Syria and Iraq in 2019, more than 42,400 foreign adults and children with alleged ties to the ISIS group have been held in camps in Syria, according to Human Rights Watch.

Repatriating them is a highly sensitive issue for many countries, but rights groups have denounced their reluctance to bring back their own nationals from the camps, controlled mostly by Syrian Kurds.

Human Rights Watch said around 30 Canadian citizens, including 10 infants, remain in the camps.

Farida Deif, the group's head in Canada, said that Global Affairs Canada has informed a number of them by letter that they fulfill the requirements for repatriation.

However, she said, "none of the men have been notified of anything or have been part of any agreements thus far."

The authorities did not say when the 19 would come to Canada or whether any of them would face legal proceedings for their association with ISIS.

Last October Canada brought back two women and two children from Syria.

In 2020, Ottawa allowed the return of a five-year-old orphan girl from Syria after her uncle initiated legal action against the Canadian government.



International Reaction to Gaza Ceasefire Deal

 Palestinians react to news on a ceasefire deal with Israel, in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, January 15, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinians react to news on a ceasefire deal with Israel, in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, January 15, 2025. (Reuters)
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International Reaction to Gaza Ceasefire Deal

 Palestinians react to news on a ceasefire deal with Israel, in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, January 15, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinians react to news on a ceasefire deal with Israel, in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, January 15, 2025. (Reuters)

Negotiators reached a phased ceasefire deal on Wednesday in the war in Gaza between Israel and the Hamas group, an official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters. Here is some reaction to the deal, which has not yet been formally announced.

US PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP

"We have a deal for the hostages in the Middle East. They will be released shortly. Thank you!" he said in a post on his Truth Social platform.

"With this deal in place, my National Security team, through the efforts of Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, will continue to work closely with Israel and our Allies to make sure Gaza NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven," Trump said in a second post.

TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER HAKAN FIDAN

He told reporters in Ankara the ceasefire deal was an important step for regional stability. Fidan also said Turkish efforts for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would continue.

ALEXANDER DE CROO, BELGIUM'S PRIME MINISTER

“After too many months of conflict, we feel tremendous relief for the hostages, for their families and for the people of Gaza.

Let’s hope this ceasefire will put an end to the fighting and mark the beginning of a sustained peace. Belgium stands ready to help.”