What happened to women, teens missing from repatriation flight? Family receives proof of life from Syria
After two weeks of nightmarish silence, one Edmonton family finally received proof of life from their loved ones who disappeared from a detention camp in northeast Syria.
The two women, who are sisters-in-law, and three teenage daughters had been detained at the Al-Hol camp and were supposed to be on a repatriation plane that flew out of Syria on April 5. The five Canadians never made it to the meeting point.
According to lawyer Zachary Al-Khatib, who represents the Edmonton mother of one woman who went missing, his client received a call from an unknown number at 6:02 a.m. MDT on Tuesday. When she picked up the phone she heard her daughter's voice.
"(She said) they were alive and had been in prison for the last 11 days and mistreated by Kurdish guards - that they were in need of medical attention. All their personal belongings were confiscated and they had nothing but the clothes on their back," said Al-Khatib.
Al-Khatib says the conversation between the detainee and her mother lasted four minutes. Then the phone call was abruptly "cut off."
AN INCOMPLETE MISSION
The five were part of group of 19 Canadians that Global Affairs Canada agreed to bring home after they sued the federal government in federal court. The women and children have been languishing for years in sprawling camps run by Kurdish forces.
The camps hold wives, widows and children of foreigners who are suspected of joining the Islamic State during the Syrian civil war.
The GAC settlement was reached in January, but there didn't appear to be movement on the matter until RCMP officers visited the camp at the end of March.
The plan, according to Al-Khatib, was for the group of five to be driven from Al-Hol to meet up with a larger group detained at Al-Roj camp. From there, all 19 Canadians would be taken to a nearby airstrip where they would transported out of the region on a U.S. military plane to Germany. In Germany, the detainees were to be transferred onto flights to Canada.
Al-Khatib says the two sisters-in-law were given assurances by Global Affairs that repatriation would take place. They identified themselves to Kurdish authorities for transfer as directed by Global Affairs. Then they went missing.
THE RED PRISON
Al-Khatib says the family learned through backchannels that the women and teen girls, all under 18 years old, were taken to two separate prisons in the area, including one with the ominous nickname "the red prison."
According to human rights workers, Al-Hol camp is one of the most dangerous detention camps in the area.
Letta Tayler is an associate director at Human Rights Watch who researches the Islamic State. Tayler last visited Al-Hol camp last year. She says there are areas of the camp still controlled by ISIS that security forces are too afraid to patrol.
Tayler says "the red prison" is likely a red-brick-coloured tower surrounded by barbed wire in Al-Hol, which is operated by the Asayish Internal Security Forces.
Tayler says detainees are taken to the building for questioning before they are transferred elsewhere.
"It's used for interrogation. Some women have alleged they were mistreated and in some cases tortured inside," Tayler said. Some women and boys have recounted being physically mistreated in latrine cubicles used as detention cells.
GLOBAL AFFAIRS ATTEMPTS TO GET ANSWERS
CTV News has inquired about the conditions of missing Canadians since April 5, when it became clear that only 14 women and children were on the plane.
At the time, Ottawa lawyer Lawrence Greenspon, who represented the detainees in their federal lawsuit, said that he had notified the families of 19 people that they were on their way home.
The federal government has not provided any additional information about what happened, but some more details about the confusion that ensued were revealed in an audio recording shared with CTV News.
In the 16-minute phone call, a consular official tells Al-Khatib's client that she is "devastated" that the women were not on the plane.
CTV is not naming the client to protect her privacy. The Edmonton woman has not seen her daughter and grandchildren for nearly a decade.
Her conversation with a woman who Al-Khatib says was Global Affairs development officer Kimberley Mast took place on April 11, one week after the Canadians had gone missing.
On the call, Mast says that Global Affairs is trying to get answers from the Kurds and trying to work with the Americans and other foreign nationals on the ground to get more information about the "red prison."
"We had never heard about this before. We are kind of at a loss at even what that prison is," said Mast.
Edmonton Lawyer Zachary Al-Khatib listening to an audio recording between Global Affairs and his client. He represents the family of five Canadians who went missing before they could board a repatriation flight from Syria. (Jay Rosove / CTV News)
A SIGNED AGREEMENT WITHOUT GUARANTEES
The conversation also apparently reveals that Canadian diplomats participated in a handover ceremony with Kurdish officials knowing that not all the Canadians they requested would be on the plane.
"Even during the handover of the rest of the women when we signed the agreement, we let it be known we’re missing five other people we expected to have. We want answers on that," said Mast in the call to the Edmonton family. "We wanted 19 and we only got 14. That’s not right."
The Kurdish authority put out a news release lauding a repatriation agreement. Photos on the website from April 5 show three Canadian diplomats meeting with officials with the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. Sebastian Beaulieu, Global Affairs chief security officer, is photographed signing a document.
A signing ceremony between Canadian diplomats on the left side and Kurdish authorities on April 5. Source: Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES)
In her conversation, Mast told the Edmonton woman last week that it may take two more months before Global Affairs can arrange another flight.
Al-Khatib says Global Affairs has now confirmed to the family that the detainees have been moved to the safer Al-Roj camp. Al-Roj is also closer to the U.S.-owned airstrip used for flights. The lawyer says the Canadian government needs to account for this failed repatriation.
"We need assurances now that they really are safe… The government has not, up until this point, fulfilled its commitments to them," said Al-Khatib. "We need a timeline for their immediate repatriation."
Global Affairs did not respond to CTV’s request for more information by the publication deadline of this story.
IN DEPTH
Why the outcome of one Toronto byelection could be consequential for Trudeau, Poilievre
The stakes are high in a looming June 24 federal byelection in a long-held Liberal riding in Toronto, and if Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's party shows signs of slipping, it could spark a bigger conversation, CTV News' pollster Nik Nanos says.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Shooting at Michigan splash pad leaves 'nine, maybe 10 victims': authorities
Gunfire erupted at a splash pad in the Detroit suburb of Rochester Hills, leaving as many as 10 people wounded, authorities said.
A new tax filing system could give Canadians more than $1 billion in unclaimed benefits: PBO
Canadians would get more than $1 billion in unclaimed benefits each year through an automatic tax filing system, according to a report published by the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO).
Video shows northern Ont. storm hammer shoreline, breaking dock
The owner of a northern Ont. camp is continuing to clean up after an intense storm that prompted a tornado warning Thursday ripped through the area breaking his dock and downing trees.
'All hands on deck situation': City of Calgary declares state of local emergency over water main break
The City of Calgary declared a local state of emergency Saturday morning in response to the latest developments in a major water main break that is impacting the city.
Trudeau calls into question findings of stunning watchdog foreign interference report
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he has concerns with how conclusions were gathered in a spy watchdog report.
U.K. royals unite on palace balcony as Princess of Wales returns to public view after cancer diagnosis
London put on a display of birthday pageantry Saturday for King Charles III, a military parade that marked the Princess of Wales ' first public appearance since her cancer diagnosis early this year.
FOLLOW LIVE Oilers-Panthers Game 4: Oilers lead 3-1 after one period
Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers is set to begin at Rogers Place.
Abducted child found dead and sister injured in suspected human trafficking case, authorities say
36-year-old Daniel Callihan was arrested Thursday after a 35-year-old mother was found dead and her two abducted daughters were later discovered in Mississippi – one dead and the other alive – in what investigators say may be a human trafficking case.
Man who stabbed Mexican tourist in Vancouver Tim Hortons 2 years ago released from prison, police warn
Vancouver police are warning the public that the man who stabbed a stranger in a downtown coffee shop in January 2022 has been released and will be living in the city again.
Local Spotlight
Moncton bakery owner celebrates 35 years with 220-foot flatbread
Fancy Pokket owner Mike Timani has decided to create a 220-foot long flat bread to celebrate its 35th anniversary.
'Too much warming': Polar bears in Hudson Bay could go extinct by 2030s if global temperatures continue to increase
If certain goals that are in the Paris Climate Accord aren't met, the existence of polar bears in the Hudson Bay may come to an end.
Swift Current offers to temporarily rename itself if Taylor Swift returns to Sask.
In an attempt to invite one of the most popular recording artists in the world to the land of living skies – the City of Swift Current has offered to rename itself in honour of Taylor Swift.
Adult dogs, puppies arrive in Moncton from Manitoba in search of forever homes
More than a dozen dogs arrived by Cargojet early Thursday morning to the People for Animal Wellbeing Shelter to find a permanent place to call home in New Brunswick.
Video captures whale breaching off Peggy's Cove, N.S.
Peggy's Cove, N.S., is one of the most famous locations in the Maritimes. Recent visitors were treated to more than just the iconic landmark.
Hundreds of fans line up to meet the Trailer Park Boys at promotional event
Hundreds of fans lined up to meet the Trailer Park Boys in Dartmouth, N.S., Tuesday, as Ricky, Bubbles and Julian promoted their new brand of potato chips.
'Nothing a little duct tape won't fix': Bear breaks into northern Ont. woman's car, destroys interior before taking nap
Car break-ins plague Canadians across the country, but instead of worrying about theft, a northern Ontario woman is cleaning up a big mess that she says will not be covered by insurance after a black bear broke into her Honda Civic and took a nap.
Albertans attempt to build the world’s tallest Popsicle stick structure
Members of a Hutterite colony in southern Alberta have potentially built the world's tallest structure made of Popsicle sticks.
After 300 days in a B.C. shelter, this dog finally found his forever home
A dog who spent the first three-and-a-half years of his life suffering and almost a year at a shelter has found his forever home, according to the BC SPCA.