Women and Children in Syrian Camps Caught During Fight Against ISIS Coming Back to Canada

Syrians take part in a cholera prevention and awareness campaign, held by a nonprofit organization, at a camp for internally displaced people in the town of Sarmada in Syria's northwestern Idlib province on Sept. 25, 2022. Aaref Watad/AFP via Getty Images

Four Canadian women and 10 children who were detained in Syria during the fight against ISIS are coming back to Canada, Global Affairs Canada (GAC) confirmed on April 6.

“The safety and security of Canadians, both at home and abroad, is our utmost priority. Amidst reports of deteriorating conditions in the camps in northeastern Syria, we have been particularly concerned about the health and wellbeing of Canadian children,” GAC said in a statement.

Lawrence Greenspon, whose Ottawa-based law firm was hired by the the family of the women, told The Epoch Times that the Canadian government had initially refused to facilitate bringing back the women and children. Shortly after he launched a court challenge arguing that their Charter rights are being violated, he said the government agreed to repatriate them.

GAC didn’t respond to a request for comment.

According to Greenspon, the agreement with the government is to repatriate six women and 13 children. However, authorities weren’t able to find two mothers and three children at the time of departure.

Greenspon said the captured children range in age from 5 to 16.

The Canadians are among the foreign nationals in camps run by Kurdish forces who control the region after the ISIS were forced out.

The Epoch Times asked the RCMP if the women are facing any charges in Canada, but didn’t hear back. GAC said in its statement that due to privacy reasons, it can’t share more details about the people being repatriated.

The department’s statement says that Canada remains committed to fighting the ISIS, and emphasized that it’s a criminal offence for Canadians to knowingly support a terrorist group.

“Where there is sufficient evidence, law enforcement and public safety agencies will independently take the necessary steps to keep our communities safe,” GAC said.

In the court challenge related to the case, Federal Court Justice Henry Brown had said that there was no evidence as to what any of the women did while overseas, while adding that the conditions at the detention camps are concerning.

He said the Canadian government does “not allege any of the Applicants engaged in or assisted in terrorist activities.”

Two Canadian women who were repatriated from the Syrian camps last year were arrested upon returning to Canada. Kimberly Polman, who had married an ISIS fighter, was released on bail in October 2022 pending further hearings on whether she should be subject to a “terrorism peace bond.” Oumaima Chouay, who faces terrorism charges, was granted bail in January.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.