A Canadian government spokesman said in a statement that the Canadian officials are collaborating with Syrian Kurdish authorities and international groups to gather information and assist Canadian individuals arrested in Syria.
Sabrina Williams, a spokesman for Canada’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, warned that her country’s ability to provide consular aid in Syria is ‘very limited.’
Williams’ remarks to The Associated Press were in reaction to Human Rights Watch allegations that Canadian authorities were preventing a Canadian lady and her child jailed in northeast Syria from travelling home for life-saving medical treatment.
Kimberly Polman, 49, and a kid under the age of 12 were identified as the two ‘gravely ill’ Canadians by the New York-based international rights organisation. It suppressed additional information on the youngster, who is not linked to Polman, in order to safeguard their privacy.
The Associated Press encountered Polman earlier this month in the Roj Camp in Syria, where she has been for three years. She appeared fatigued and stated that she had kidney disease, high blood pressure, and other issues. She also claimed to have contracted hepatitis four times and pneumonia while at the camp. Williams did not go into detail about what the Canadian government plans to do, stating that “no further information can be provided lawfully.”
Nearly 50 Canadians are stranded in camps in northeastern Syria. Some of them have been held since even before the Islamic State group abandoned its self-proclaimed caliphate in March 2019. According to HRW, more over half of the Canadians detained there are youngsters, the majority of them are under the age of seven.
They are among tens of thousands of women and children from about 60 nations being kept in the camps by US-backed Kurdish-led fighters. Many of them are IS militants’ wives, widows, and children.
While a few nations have consented to return their citizens, many others, like Canada, have refused.
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