France Repatriates Women and Children from Syrian Prisons
On Tuesday, France announced the deportation of three women and ten children from a Syrian prison, a move carried out by counterterrorism prosecutors.
The issue of repatriation has been highly contentious in France, particularly since the devastating attacks in Paris in 2015, which claimed 130 lives and were executed by jihadist gunmen and suicide bombers. These events have led to ongoing concerns regarding the return of individuals with ties to extremist groups.
Years after the territorial defeat of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, many people remain in Kurdish-run camps and prisons in northeastern Syria. These individuals, often suspected of having connections to IS, number in the tens of thousands.
The women repatriated early Tuesday were aged between 18 and 34. According to the French anti-terrorist force PNAT, two of them have been placed in police custody facing additional charges.
The ten children will be transferred to childcare services and will be monitored by local prosecutors and anti-terrorist forces.
The French Foreign Ministry expressed gratitude to the Syrian transitional authorities and local administrations in northeastern Syria for facilitating the operation.
Since 2019, France has brought back 179 children and 60 women but paused such operations two years ago.
Mixed Reactions
Matieu Bagard, leader of the Syrian forces of borderless lawyers, stated that Tuesday’s repatriation demonstrated France’s capacity to organize such operations effectively. Meanwhile, lawyer Marie Dors, representing the deported women, viewed the repatriation as a long-awaited relief for families who’ve been waiting for years.
However, she criticized France’s repatriation approach as “arbitrary,” noting that 110 French children remain in custody at the RoJ camp, controlled by Kurdish forces, suggesting a disconnection from familial ties.
As of June, it was reported that about 120 of these children were deemed “innocent,” alongside approximately 50 French women still held in the camp.
In February, Kurdish authorities indicated plans to collaborate with the UN to close these camps by year-end.
Ongoing International Pressure
Several European nations, including Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands, have successfully repatriated their citizens from Syrian camps. International organizations have been urging France to take similar actions regarding women and children associated with militants held in these facilities since the Islamic State’s expulsion in 2019.
France has resisted these calls, citing concerns about potential security threats posed by returning individuals. In 2022, the European Human Rights Court criticized France for its refusal to repatriate two women detained in Syria after linking to extremist partners.
Additionally, in the following year, the UN Commission on Torture noted that France violated a treaty prohibiting cruel treatment by not bringing back these women and minors.
On Monday, three French women were put on trial in Paris for traveling to the Middle East to engage with militant groups, which included bringing along eight children. One of the accused is related to a key figure who claimed responsibility for the 2015 Paris attacks.
