Paris repatriates women and children from Syrian prison camps

Thirty-five people, mostly minors, arrived in France in the fourth operation of its kind this year

Children at Al Hol camp. AP

France has repatriated dozens of women and children who were being held in prison camps for suspected Islamic extremists in Syria.

In total, 10 women and 25 children arrived in France on Tuesday in the fourth operation of its kind in a year, according to the Foreign Ministry.

The children will be handed over to care services, while the adults will be transferred into the custody of the relevant judicial authorities, the ministry said.

The French women had voluntarily travelled to ISIS-held territories across Syria and Iraq, and were later captured when the extremists were ousted from those areas.

The return of family members of militants who have been captured or killed is a thorny issue for European countries, particularly France, which has been targeted for attacks by Islamic extremists on several occasions.

In France, any adult who travelled to Iraq or Syria and remained there is subject to legal proceedings.

Just a year ago France put an end to its "case-by-case" approach to repatriation, which had earned it condemnation from international bodies.

A total of 16 women and 35 children were brought back to France during the first repatriation operation a year ago, followed in October by the return of 15 women and 40 children.

In January, the Foreign Ministry announced the repatriation of 15 women and 32 children, a few days after being condemned by the UN, which said that in refusing to return women and minors from Syria, France was violating the UN Convention Against Torture.

Miserable conditions at Al Hol camp in north-east Syria - in pictures

On Tuesday France thanked "the local administration in northeastern Syria for its co-operation, which made this operation possible", the Foreign Ministry said.

Until summer 2022, France had opted for targeted repatriation, namely the return of orphans or minors whose mothers had agreed to renounce their parental rights.

Under this policy, only around 30 presumed orphans had been repatriated by Paris, the last of whom returned to France in early 2021.