RCMP interviewing Canadians held in detention camps in Syria: sources
CTV
CTV News has learned that RCMP officers are currently in northeast Syria, interviewing Canadians held in detention camps in order to bring them back to Canada. The three Mounties have so far interviewed only Canadian women in Al-Roj camp.
CTV News has learned that RCMP officers are currently in northeast Syria, interviewing Canadians held in detention camps in order to bring them back to Canada. The three Mounties have so far interviewed only Canadian women in Al-Roj camp.
According to sources, RCMP are warning the women that they could face terrorism charges upon their return to Canada. Their interviews are being videotaped and could be used in future court cases.
Global Affairs Canada agreed to repatriate seven Canadian women and 19 children from Syria.
The agreement does not include at least four Canadian men held in separate prisons in Syria. The men are suspected of joining ISIS, although some family members have vehemently denied this.
The federal government mounted an appeal of a court order to also bring back the men, arguing that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms does not guarantee the men a “right to return” to Canada. That appeal was heard on Monday, but a judge has yet to render a decision.
During the initial arguments in this court case, the judge had previously said that “there’s no evidence identifying why any of the applicants went to Syria and Iraq and there’s no evidence before this court of what they may have done there.”
The agreement also excludes four foreign mothers and their 10 children. The women’s husbands are Canadians who are missing or who may have died during the Syrian civil war. Global Affairs has agreed to bring back their children, but only if the mothers agree to relinquish their guardianship.
