Canada to repatriate 23 citizens from Syria
World
"The safety and security of Canadians is our government’s top priority."
MONTREAL (AFP) – Canada will repatriate twenty-three citizens who have been detained in northeast Syria in camps for family members of IS group fighters, officials and a lawyer said Friday.
It would be the largest such repatriation of IS 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.
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.
