UN Orders Belgium to Repatriate Woman Detained in Syrian Camp

The request for repatriation of this young woman, who had returned to Syria in 2013, dates back several years, reports 7 sur 7. The detention conditions of this Belgian woman in the Al-Roj camp are "deleterious, humiliations and violence are frequent there and the health of the complainant is deteriorating due to shrapnel lodged in her body," alert her Brussels lawyers, Nicolas Cohen and Christophe Deprez.

The United Nations Committee against Torture, a group of experts responsible for monitoring the implementation of the Convention against Torture of which Belgium is a signatory, received the complaint of the young woman. It intends to take urgent and provisional measures to facilitate her repatriation, pending examination of whether or not there has been a violation of this Convention.

According to Christophe Deprez, one of the lawyers for the Belgian woman, "a decision on the merits could take a year or more." However, the committee’s measures constitute "an important step forward in the case of European nationals held in the Syrian camps," he observes.

Convicted by default in Belgium for participation in the activities of a terrorist group, the young woman had opposed this judgment. Her wish is to appear at her new trial.