According to its official Twitter account, the Syrian Democratic Forces claimed they arrested “an ISIS member of Ethiopian origin who holds Canadian citizenship.”
They posted a 40-second video of the man, who identified himself as Mohamed Abdullah Mohamed — a Saudi Arabian-born Ethiopian man who was raised in Canada and became a Canadian citizen.
There are at least 14 individuals with Canadian citizenship — seven adults and seven children — being held in a Syrian jail for their involvement with the Islamist death cult ISIS.
Meanwhile, a UN official has told Canada that we must repatriate people who left to fight for ISIS.
According to Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Canada is legally required to do so.
When CBC Radio asked if she believes Canada has a duty to bring ISIS fighters back to Canada, this was her response:
“I believe it has a legal obligation to do so, if those foreign fighters are currently held in Syria by a non-state actor in this case a Kurdish group. That group has currently no international legitimacy, and probably neither does it have the capacity to undertake fair trials. That’s one reason as to why those individuals should be sent back to Canada.”
Part of the reason the UN is advocating for Canada to take back these ISIS terrorists is to save their lives.
Iraq has the death penalty, and the UN opposes the idea of ISIS fighters — including militants who ruthlessly killed civilians and committed genocide against Yazidis and Christians — being put to death.
The UN official was dismayed that no one, including Canada, has worked to bring back their radicalized citizens imprisoned abroad.
“So far every government, for the last four or five years, have brandished ISIS as enemy number one around the world. None of those governments are now prepared to take their responsibilities and put IS to trial. None of them.”
Gee. Is it any wonder why?
One such ISIS militant is Muhammed Ali, a Pakistan and Canadian dual citizen that joined ISIS and used his social media accounts to spread beheading photos, threats and bigotry.
He openly called for terrorist attacks against Canada, and renounced his Canadian citizenship on Twitter.
The government of Canada has done little to bring these fighters back.
A concern held by terrorism scholars and practitioners is that Canada’s courts are too lenient to properly and successfully prosecute these fighters. There is widespread concern that, like many other terrorists, these ISIS fighters would get off scot-free.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested that while he will punish ex-ISIS fighters, he will also try toreintegrate them into Canadian society.
“We are also there to help them to let go of that terrorist ideology,” said the Prime Minister in question period last year.
The Prime Minister also said returning ISIS fighters could be “powerful voices” against violent radicalization within Canada.
Despite the Prime Minister’s hopes, his own government isn’t too sure.
Minister of Public Safety Ralph Goodale suggested that the chances of reintegrating Canadian ISIS fighters is “pretty remote.”
Despite the risks, the UN Official remains certain that Canada must eventually repatriate ISIS terrorists.
“My strong recommendations is that governments, including Canada, must do the right thing legally, and must do the right thing in front of historians.”
What is right to the UN may be very different than what is right for Canadians.
