Human rights defenders want Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly to open an impartial investigation into the death of a Quebec woman whom the federal government had refused to repatriate from a Syrian detention camp.
In a letter to Minister Joly, Senator Kim Pate, human rights activist Alex Neve and lawyer Hadayt Nazami say the woman died unexpectedly just over a week ago in Turkey .
Mme Pate, M. Neve et Me Nazami were part of a delegation that met the woman and her six young children in 2023 at a Syrian camp run by Kurdish forces, who have retaken the war-torn region from the Islamic State armed group in Iraq and the Levant ( ISIL).
The federal government helped the children come to Canada this year, but refused to repatriate the woman, known publicly as “FJ.”
Lawyer Lawrence Greenspon, who helped the family, says Ottawa cited security reasons for refusing to help the mother return. As a result, FJ had to choose between sending her children to Canada alone or keeping them with her in the squalid camp.
The October 24 letter to Minister Joly says the woman escaped from al-Roj camp in northeast Syria, entered Turkey in March and was apprehended and imprisoned by authorities Turks three months later.
“The circumstances leading up to and surrounding his death raise a number of troubling questions,” the letter reads. We therefore call on the Canadian government to take immediate action to launch an independent and impartial investigation into FJ’s death, by someone with the appropriate expertise to thoroughly examine the circumstances of his detention and death. »
Federal officials took steps to help bring the six children to Canada in May. They are now placed in foster care.
In an interview, Me Greenspon supported calls from delegation members for an investigation. “These questions must be answered,” he insisted on Friday. This is a tragedy that should never have happened. »
M’s officeme Joly did not immediately comment.
The letter states that lawyers were informed that FJ received at least two consular visits, on July 16 and July 1is October, at the closed women’s prison in Tarsus, about five hours from Ankara.
They also learned that she “may have received one or two visits from RCMP officers who questioned her in prison,” and that RCMP officers may also have spoken to her at al-Roj .
“We were told that after one of these visits with consular officers or the RCMP, her mood and behavior changed markedly, and she became severely depressed and psychologically distressed. »
The letter states that criminal charges against FJ in Türkiye for membership in an armed terrorist group were heard on October 15. She was acquitted by a three-judge panel and transferred to an immigration detention center.
FJ, 40, was apparently given medication due to sleep problems, the letter added. His lawyer in Türkiye discovered his body on the morning of October 17.
Me Greenspon said he was aware of efforts to obtain an emergency travel document for FJ so she could return to Canada.
The letter says Canada learned of his death not from Turkish officials, but from a Canadian who had worked closely with the families of people detained in northeast Syria.
“We were told that Turkish officials concluded that the cause of death was a heart attack. As far as we know, there has been no autopsy,” the letter states.
“This is clearly a very tragic outcome, both in terms of FJ’s death and the serious impact this will undoubtedly have on his children. »
The letter urges Mme Joly to order an investigation immediately, while the witnesses are accessible and the evidence is recent.
“Such an investigation cannot, in these circumstances, be conducted by either the RCMP or your consular staff. There are many other options that would provide the necessary independence and expertise. »
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