Syria: Regional authorities in northeast Syria are unlawfully detaining an estimated 40 Ukrainian women and children. Human Rights Watch news release

In a News Release on April 13 2021, expressing dissatisfaction with the neglect of unlawful detention of women and children in northeast Syria, the Human Rights Watch said that the living conditions are horrible. They also said that the majority of the 40 detainees are children and some are young as two years “Regional authorities in northeast Syria are unlawfully detaining an estimated 40 Ukrainian women and children in inhuman and degrading conditions in camps, Human Rights Watch said today. They are among nearly 43,000 foreigners linked to the extremist armed group Islamic State (also known as ISIS) who are being held by Syrian regional authorities. The majority of the 40 are children, some as young as two.”

The Human Rights Watch in the press release said that they have sent a letter to the Ukraine and Syria authorities urging them to intervene and repatriate these women and children. “In a March 25, 2021 letter, Human Rights Watch urged Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to take prompt action to assist and repatriate the Ukrainian women and children. Human Rights Watch also sent a letter to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky with the same request.”

None of the 40 detainees has been taken before a court and the living conditions in these camps are inhumane and life-threatening, the Human Rights Watch said. “None of the 40 has been taken before a court or investigated or prosecuted for any crime, and their indefinite and arbitrary detention by the armed forces of the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of Northeast Syria violates international law. A recent Human Rights Watch report found that the conditions in these camps are often inhumane and life-threatening, with growing insecurity and shortages of vital aid. Covid-19 presents another threat to the lives of these detainees, with the United Nations reporting at least 8,537 cases of the virus in northeast Syria as of February 2021.”

Read detailed news release through the link below: Bring Ukrainian Women, Children Home from Syria | Human Rights Watch (hrw.org)

Berinyuy Cajetan, Publisher

Berinyuy Cajetan is the founder and publisher of Human Rights and Legal Research Centre (HRLRC) since 2017. He has intensive experience in strategic communications for Civil Society Organizations, campaign and advocacy, and social issues. He has an intensive experiencing in human rights monitoring, documentation and reporting.