An organization supporting 17 Australian children and nine women detained in two camps in northeastern Syria filed a complaint with the Australian judiciary on Monday, demanding their return to their country.
These women are the wives of jihadists who live with their children in the camps of al-Hol and Roj, which are controlled by the Kurds in northeastern Syria, and are witnessing a deterioration in security and a lack of services.
Since the announcement of the elimination of the “caliphate” of the extremist Islamic State in 2019, the Kurdish self-administration has been calling on the concerned countries to take back their nationals from the organization’s family members who are in camps, while their countries refrain from doing so.
The government is “morally and legally” obligated to bring them back
Save the Children in Australia lodged a complaint on behalf of the women and children, arguing that the government had a “moral and legal” obligation to return them.
“After four years in difficult circumstances, this legal action was not the first choice for these Australian nationals in Syria,” said Chief Executive Matt Tinkler.
“Every day these Australian children spend in Syria is another day when their safety and well-being are at risk,” he added.
In October, the Australian government returned four women and 13 children from the two camps.
Tinkler explained that he had initially hoped that other initiatives would be launched to help them, but these hopes were dashed in the face of the government’s “inaction”.
The Australian families of those still detained in Syria assure that they have been anxiously waiting to meet them for four years.
“The returns last October raised their hopes and ours,” the families said in a joint statement.
“(Returns) have proven that the government can bring back our family members, all of whom are Australian citizens, and we remain hopeful that this work will continue,” she added.
The issue of returning them is a politically controversial issue in Australia, where the opposition Conservative Party is facing it, constantly citing reasons related to national security.
