Canadian Kimberly Polman has been arrested after arriving in Canada following her repatriation from a detention camp in Syria, based on her lawyer.
Polman has been detained for the previous three years at al-Roj Syrian detention camp for families of ISIS fighters. She travelled to Syria in 2015 after marrying an ISIS fighter on-line and has stated she was in a “horrible place” on the time.
Her lawyer Lawrence Greenspon confirmed to CBC News that Polman arrived in Montreal Wednesday morning and is on her strategy to Abbotsford, B.C.
Polman has been arrested underneath Section 810 of the Criminal Code and authorities are looking for a peace bond, stated Greenspon — a court docket order used to maintain folks from committing or recommitting crimes, which requires they comply with particular situations to maintain the peace.
In whole, two ladies and two youngsters have now been repatriated throughout this newest operation from a detention camp in northeast Syria that holds ladies with alleged ties to ISIS and their youngsters, Global Affairs Canada confirmed Wednesday morning.
“Canada thanks the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria for its co-operation and acknowledges its efforts in offering care for the detained people underneath an especially troublesome safety state of affairs and opposed circumstances,” wrote Global Affairs Canada in a press release to CBC News.
Global Affairs stated the United States helped with the operation. It’s nonetheless unclear precisely what position Canada performed within the repatriation of the 4 Canadians.
WATCH | At least 2 Canadian ladies and their youngsters have left ISIS detention camp:
At least two ladies, together with their youngsters, have left an ISIS detention camp in Syria and are anticipated to return to Canada this week, CBC News has discovered. It’s unclear what position Canada performed within the repatriation effort.
Canada’s place has been that, for safety causes, it could not ship consular help to satisfy these ladies, although numerous different western nations have completed so. France repatriated 40 youngsters and 15 ladies from Kurdish-run camps in Syria final week.
Global Affairs Canada stated on account of privateness considerations it “can not share particulars of the repatriation for operational safety causes” or the identities of these introduced dwelling.
The repatriation of Polman comes eight months after United Nations human rights consultants urged Canada to repatriate Polman and stated her situations met the definition of “torture, atrocious, inhuman and degrading remedy.”
Health points cited
“Her well being may be very dire and he or she is in a really, very tenuous well being state of affairs and situation and I’m sure that that could be a very giant a part of the explanation why she is being introduced dwelling,” Greenspon stated.
Polman certified for “extraordinary help” underneath a brand new coverage adopted final yr by Global Affairs Canada for those that couldn’t be handled in Syria for life-threatening medical situations, based on Greenspon.
CBC News requested Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino on Tuesday concerning the authorities’s involvement within the newest repatriation efforts. “We do not speak about any particular person case,” he replied.
“Supporting a terrorist group, whether or not right here or overseas, is a severe felony offence,” stated Mendicino on Tuesday. “Those who have interaction in that sort of exercise will face the complete power of the legislation.”
Canada has additionally helped facilitate the repatriation of a five-year-old Canadian orphan in 2020 and a four-year-old lady and later her mom in 2021.
Human Rights Watch estimates that earlier than as we speak, roughly 4 dozen Canadian males, ladies and kids — most of them underneath the age of six — remained in detention camps in Syria.
WATCH | The Canadian moms inside an ISIS detention camp:
As phrase spreads within the al-Roj Syrian detention camp for families of ISIS fighters {that a} four-year-old Canadian lady was freed, different moms grapple with sending their very own youngsters to security. Some say they could not survive with out them, whereas others beg Canada to deliver them to security.
Farida Deif, the Canada director at Human Rights Watch, hopes the most recent spherical of repatriations alerts the federal government is altering its coverage and can deliver others dwelling. She calls the federal government’s method piecemeal and more and more an outlier in contrast ot different nations.
“Really the method of the federal government up to now has been abysmal,” stated Deif.
“The prime minister has not needed to spend any political capital to repatriate anybody with suspected ISIS ties and has basically deserted Canadians in situations of illegal detention, in inhumane and squalid situations.”
The prime minister stated Tuesday that the federal government has protocols in place and pays shut “consideration to the wellbeing of kids” within the camps.
Global Affairs stated the federal government “stays steadfast in its vigilance over the safety and security of Canadians and takes a sturdy method to this challenge.”