Mr Greenspon is representing detained Canadians – including the 6 women and 13 children who will return to the country – in a case aimed at forcing Canada to repatriate its citizens.
The federal government says Canada cannot offer them consular services in Syria because the situation is too dangerous, but the nationals’ lawyer argued instead that other countries had done so.
The agreement with Global Affairs Canada provides for the returnees to drop their lawsuit against Ottawa.
The women and children who will return to the country spent several years in detention camps. According to Mr. Greenspon, who represents four other clients, men who are still in Syria and who are not part of this deal with the federal government will not be charged, Greenspon said.
These women and children were in arbitrary detention. They are Canadians, so we have taken legal action to get the government to repatriate them, Mr Greenspon told Radio-Canada.
More than 30 Canadians are still being held in Syria
It is possible that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) will press charges against the six Canadians if they return to Canadian soil. Three months ago, two other Canadian women were repatriated with their children and one of them was arrested before being released on bail.
Last October, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed particular concern about Canadian children being held in the camps.
According to the international human rights NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW), 31 Canadians, including 13 women, 10 children and 8 men, are in camps in Syria where thousands of members of fighters from the armed group Islamic State (IS) live. .
Many of them live in al-Roj and al-Hol, where hundreds of adults and children have died due to fighting in the area, lack of medical supplies or unsanitary conditions, the official NGO said.
A child leaves one of the classes set up by the NGO Save the Children in the Roj camp in Syria.
Photo: Julie Astoul
It’s definitely a step in the right direction, says Farida Deif, Canada Director of HRW.
“It was particularly difficult for the families of these detainees, who have been waiting for their return to the country for four years. […] But it is now important to repatriate all Canadians, including the men arbitrarily being held in northeastern Syria. »
— A quote from Farida Deif, HRW
Half of those detained are children, so they are clearly victims, she said in an interview with Radio Canada. Some of the women claim to have been trafficked and ended up in the ranks of IS, while others voluntarily joined the jihadist group.
According to Conservative MP Pierre Paul-Hus, an assessment must be made to know the potential risk […] and determine whether or not these individuals were indoctrinated on behalf of ISIS.
This is very important to Canada’s public safety, he added.
For her part, Leah West, a national security attorney, regrets that these Canadians are being held without trial. Canada must do its part and put them on trial to determine whether or not they participated in IS activities, she said.