Sally Lane, the mother of Canadian man Jack Letts, who is detained in Syria, expressed her frustration with the Supreme Court of Canada for not hearing their case, stating that they have signed her son’s death warrant. Letts and three other Canadian men have been detained in ramshackle detention centers run by Kurdish forces in Syria. Letts, who converted to Islam and ended up in Syria after studying in Kuwait, was captured by Kurdish forces while trying to flee the country with a group of refugees in 2017. In January 2023, a Federal Court Justice directed Ottawa to request their repatriation, but the ruling was overturned by the Federal Court of Appeal.
The recent decision by the Supreme Court of Canada to not hear the case of the detained Canadian men has left their families distraught. Despite efforts by their lawyers to file a motion for reconsideration, the court registrar rejected their request, leaving them with no further remedies in the top court. The men have been detained for several years without charge or trial, in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions. Their foreign jailers have indicated that they would release them if Canada made the request and facilitated their repatriation, as has been done for some Canadian women and children.
Lawyer Lawrence Greenspon, who represents two of the detained men, expressed disappointment at the Supreme Court’s decision and raised the possibility of filing a complaint to the United Nations about the federal government’s inaction. The court’s decision comes after the recent death of a Canadian woman in Turkey who had escaped from a detention camp in Syria. Calls have been made for an impartial investigation into her death by human rights activists and lawmakers. The woman’s six children were brought to Canada in May, but she was not repatriated due to security concerns.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly has stated the need to understand the circumstances of the woman’s death and has pledged support for her children. However, details about what this support might entail were not provided by Global Affairs Canada. The death of the Canadian woman has raised concerns about the situation of detainees in Syria and the lack of action by the Canadian government to repatriate its citizens. Greenspon emphasized the importance of investigating the circumstances surrounding the woman’s death and ensuring accountability in such cases. The families of the detained Canadian men continue to seek justice and repatriation for their loved ones.
