Families of Canadians Detained in Northeast Syria Ask Supreme Court for Reconsideration of Appeal

30 Mar

Following the Supreme Court of Canada’s mid-November refusal to hear the appeal of four Canadian men arbitrarily detained for up to 7 years under dire conditions in Northeast Syria, their families and legal team are taking the rare step of seeking a reconsideration and full hearing before the country’s highest court.

Letta Tayler, an associate director and terrorism and counterterrorism lead at Human Rights Watch, said many countries around the world were continuing to "unconscionably drag their feet" by leaving their citizens stranded.

"Yes, several governments have repatriated many or most of their nationals. But many have opted for the easiest cases – the orphans, the younger children. The hardest cases remain, including boys who have aged into men inside northeast Syrian prisons, and men who have been held incommunicado for years," she said.

And Senator Kim Pate, Alex Neve, Scott Heatherington, and Hadayt Nazami who visited Canadian detainees in NE Syrian prisons last August stated: "The human rights violations they are enduring are extensive, and the Canadian government’s failure to take steps to protect them is a disgrace."

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