The Commissioner issued a statement regarding the situation in the camps, saying that she considers that people being held there fall within the jurisdiction of the member states, and that the prevailing health and security situation in the camps endangers the lives and physical and mental health of those detained there, especially children.
In addition, the Commissioner also stated that the removal of all foreign children from the camps is an absolute and mandatory priority from the perspective of the rights which apply to all children under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and its protocols, and that to safeguard their best interests their mothers must be repatriated with them.
“I consider that the repatriation of European nationals held in the camps in North-East Syria is essential to protect the rights of victims of terrorist acts and as a means of preventing terrorism.” she said.
Eighty French women and around 200 children have been in the camps since March 2019.
Germany, Finland, and the Netherlands have repatriated some of their citizens, and Denmark and Belgium say they are preparing for the return of children.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also called on countries to repatriate citizens at a meeting in Rome on 28 June.
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Commander Mazlum Ebdi had requested the removal of ISIS members and their families in a message he sent to the International Coalition meeting in Rome, before this statement was issued.