France Repatriates 51 From Syria Camps In Policy Change
Umer Jamshaid Published July 06, 2022 | 09:10 AM
Paris, July 6 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Jul, 2022 ) :France repatriated 35 children and 16 mothers from camps in Syria holding family members of suspected Islamic State members on Tuesday in the largest such operation by Paris after pressure from campaigners.
The French government had long refused mass repatriations of the hundreds of French children detained in Kurdish-controlled camps, dealing with them on a case-by-case basis that rights groups criticised as deliberately slow.
"France has today undertaken the return to the country of 35 French minors who were in camps in northeast Syria. This operation also includes the return of 16 mothers from these same camps," a statement from the foreign ministry said.
It added that the minors were handed over to child protection services while the mothers would face judicial proceedings that lawyers expect to lead to their prosecution for terror offences.
One of the women was 37-year-old Emilie Konig, a Muslim convert from northwest France who became a notorious recruiter for the group and urged supporters in the West to carry out attacks, a security source told AFP.
Seven of the 35 minors were unaccompanied children, the National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor's Office (PNAT) said in a statement.
As for the women who are aged 22-39, "four had already consented to the return of their children in recent months" and "12 returned with their children".
They had French nationality except two who, however, had French children.
Eight had been placed in police custody, according to the PNAT, and seven others were indicted for criminal terrorist association and taken into custody, according to a source.
Family members of the returnees said that French officials had entered the sprawling and squalid Roj camp on Monday to select orphans and women with medical problems for the flight home.
"It's a 180-degree turn from the French government to repatriate women as well. It gives us hope, but there are still a lot of children over there," the aunt of one of the repatriated women told AFP, asking not to be named.
Western countries have faced a dilemma over how to handle their citizens detained in Syria since the end of military operations against the Islamic State group there in 2019.
Thousands of extremists in Europe decided to join the group as fighters, often bringing their wives and children to live in the "caliphate" declared in territory conquered in Iraq and Syria.
Until now, France had prioritised its security over welfare concerns for the detained, pointing to a series of attacks by IS fighters, including the November 2015 assaults on Paris that left 130 people dead.
In a 2019 poll by Odoxa-Dentsu Consulting, seven out of 10 people surveyed were opposed to bringing back the children of militants to France.
Before Tuesday's operation, Paris had repatriated 126 children since 2016.
The decision to return 51 people in a single operation points to a change in policy that came after Germany and Belgium announced that they would bring back all of their minors from Syria.
Around 150 remain in Syria, lawyers and campaigners said on Tuesday.
"Our country has isolated itself more and more by choosing inhumanity and irresponsibility, unlike Germany, Belgium and many other European countries," the French campaign group Collective for United Families said in a statement on Tuesday.
A UN watchdog also increased the pressure in February when it said that France had violated the rights of children by leaving them for years in inhuman and life-threatening conditions.
The president of the Seine-Saint-Denis region northeast of Paris, where many previous returnees have been housed, said it was important to make a distinction between IS fighters and children, many of whom are orphans.
"Whenever this issue becomes a news story, I'm aware of the fantasies that it can create," Stephane Troussel told AFP recently. "The images of children indoctrinated by IS, weapons in their hands, are deeply ingrained."
Related Topics
Recent Stories
ICCI, CDA sign MoU for upgrading, maintaining public washrooms
Provincial minister attends solar product launch
Finance minister calls for fiscal discipline by reducing operational expenditure
Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb holds meeting with SBP Gover ..
UHS declares MBBS first prof, MS urology exam results
Pakistan, Azerbaijan to enhance cooperation in IT and Telecom sector
Separate coaches to be hired for ODIs, Test and T20I formats
Pakistan's most senior naturist, biodiversity expert Prof Z.B. Mirza passes away
Finance Minister calls for reforming tax system to improve country's economy
PM calls for joint efforts to check smuggling, power theft
Rupee gains 09 paisa against dollar
Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) loses 137 points
More Stories From Miscellaneous
-
Shaheed Jalil Andrabi remembered on his martyrdom anniversary
2 days ago -
Architectural grandeur of Mohabat Khan Mosque attracts visitors, archeology lovers
2 days ago -
Besant Hall cultural centre to hold programme in memory Pir Hassam din Rashdi
4 days ago -
USA beats Mexico 2-0 for CONCACAF Nations League title
4 days ago -
World urged to intervene for peace in Kashmir
5 days ago -
Undeterred resolve – only way to end economic woes
5 days ago
-
Organic Food: A booming trend in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
5 days ago -
From Soil to Harvest: Use of modern technology vital for agricultural renaissance
5 days ago -
Spring season offers glimpse into GB's natural beauty, cultural heritage
5 days ago -
Nation to mark decades’ long journey of resilience through annals of history
7 days ago -
23rd March: A historic day reminds Muslims’ heroic struggle for Pakistan
7 days ago -
Measures urged to recharge depleting water table: Experts
7 days ago