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More than two dozen women and children held in a northeastern Syrian detention camp are expected to arrive on Canadian soil any day, but the fate of 10 remains unknown after their mothers were given a “cruel” choice to surrender or keep them. in “inhumane” conditions, according to supporters.
“Choice is hardly the right word when you ask a mother to say goodbye to her children,” said Faraz Bawa, a Calgary-based lawyer for one of the women.
In January, after years of efforts by lawyer Lawrence Greenspon, the federal government agreed to repatriate 19 Canadian women and children from northeastern Syria, where they were held in a Kurdish detention camp for suspected ISIS members and their families.
An additional 10 children born to four non-Canadian mothers were identified as Canadian citizens eligible for repatriation, according to Alexandra Bain, director of FAVE (Families Against Violent Extremism).
The children were either born in Canada or fathered by Canadians. Mothers are the only caregivers.
If children are brought to Canada without their mothers, some are at risk of being placed in provincial care, Bain said.
He noted that one boy is autistic, non-verbal and continues to suffer injuries from the bomb.
Now Bain and two Calgary lawyers representing the two women are lobbying to keep the children and their mother safe.
The repatriation is expected to take place this week.
But on January 27, the mothers were contacted by Global Affairs Canada officials who offered to return only the children, according to a letter FAVE sent to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“Mothers are asked to make a Solomonic decision: save your children but lose them forever – or condemn them with you to a life in hell,” read part of the letter.
The letter described conditions in the camp as “inhumane, where individuals are arbitrarily detained without trial, live in fear of violence, have no access to medical care, and are at risk of serious illness.”
Bawa said lawyers and organizations trying to help the women were largely left in the dark about the government’s intentions.
He believes there are three potential scenarios that the government can plan for.
It is possible, he said, that there may be an effort to bring mothers with children and the government is simply not communicating that fact.
The second option could see the children brought to Canada with the woman who was left behind while applying and waiting for a temporary resident permit. Bawa has proactively submitted the application.
In the worst-case scenario, she said, Canada plans nothing for mothers.
“It was a cruel ultimatum on both sides,” Bawa said.
There was no statement from Global Affairs Canada
On Tuesday morning, CBC News contacted Global Affairs Canada. The department has repeatedly said it is “working” on the request and is committed to having a statement “soon.”
But CBC News did not receive a statement in time for publication.
Bawa and Bain acknowledge that non-Canadian mothers may have ties to ISIS.
But Bain said ISIS should be considered a cult. “People make mistakes when they join cults,” he said. “They can be helped, if they want, to leave the cult.”
“We do this with prisoners; we have people who have been incarcerated repeatedly, but we give them a chance.”
Bain said the family he worked with wanted to denounce extremism.
“Many returning women have suffered some form of trafficking, recruitment and abuse,” Bain said.
Lawyer Yoav Niv, who helped coordinate representation for the four non-Canadian mothers, questioned the legality of the women’s placement in the camp and called the detention “arbitrary and illegal.”
“Detention based solely on family ties is a collective punishment, a war crime,” he said.
Niv and Bawa say there are ways to address security if Canada recognizes the problem with mothers.
At the end of 2021, a Calgary woman who had been held for two years in one of the northeastern Syrian detention camps with her young daughter returned to Canada and was placed on a terrorism peace bond so that the authorities could maintain the situation to ensure that she was not there. does not pose a risk to the public.
“There are steps the Canadian government can take to monitor their behavior, monitor their whereabouts,” Bawa said. “They can be put on certain security certificates.”
29 women and children will land in the western provinces, Ontario and Quebec.
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