Sunday, July 09, 2023


RELEASED WITH BAIL CONDITIONS

After return from Syria, two Canadian women appear in Edmonton courtroom on Terrorism Peace Bond

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)
Jul 8, 2023 | 1:26 PM

Two Canadians who returned from Syria this week have been arrested.

The RCMP Federal Policing Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET) arrested Helena Carson, 33, and Dina Kalouti, 42, upon their arrival to Montreal-Trudeau International Airport on July 7.

Mounties say that with the consent of the Attorney General of Canada, the RCMP commenced proceedings against the two individuals by way of a Terrorism Peace Bond, pursuant to Section 810.011 of the Criminal Code.

Carson and Kalouti were transported to Alberta and appeared in an Edmonton provincial courtroom for a bail hearing. They were then released and are subject to a number of bail conditions pending a hearing of the application.

Meantime, Global Affairs Canada (GAC) said in a July 6 statement on this matter that it had taken extraordinary steps to repatriate five people — the two women, plus three children. This was done through the Bring Our Loved Ones Home litigation.

“Canada remains steadfast in prioritizing the safety and security of its citizens, both at home and abroad, and has been particularly concerned about the health and well-being of Canadian children in northeastern Syria,” says GAC.

“Canada extends its gratitude to the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria for its cooperation in conducting another operation under difficult security circumstances. We also thank the United States for its assistance in the repatriation of Canadians and for continuing to play a key role in resolving the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the region.”

Canada remains steadfast in its commitment to the fight against Daesh, or ISIS, and global terrorism while vigorously defending human rights both domestically and abroad, GAC adds.

“Where there is sufficient evidence, law enforcement and public safety agencies will independently take the necessary steps to keep our communities safe,” it continues.

“We reiterate that it is a serious criminal offence for anyone to leave Canada to knowingly support a terrorist group and those who engage in these activities will face the full force of Canadian law. We remain committed to taking every possible step to ensure the safety and security of Canadians.”

Due to privacy considerations, GAC could not provide information about the repatriated individuals at the time of its statement, though RCMP later did name the adults. For operational security reasons, GAC can also not share details of the repatriation.

RCMP say that because the criminal investigation remains ongoing, there will be no further comment at this time.

They were asked, but could not confirm to rdnewsNOW where in Alberta the two women are from.

Edmontonians 'needn't worry' about peace bonds issued for detainees returning from Syrian camps


Kurdish forces patrol al-Hol camp, which houses families of members of the Islamic State group in Hasakeh province, Syria, Wednesday, April 19, 2023.
 (AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad)


Craig Ellingson
CTVNewsEdmonton.ca 
Digital Producer
Updated July 7, 2023 

The lawyer for two women and three children returning home to Edmonton on Friday after spending about five years in Syrian detention camps says despite a federal court ordering peace bonds for the adults, the public has nothing to fear.

While a peace bond is a protection order made by a Canadian court under the Criminal Code, it does not imply people placed under them are suspected of committing a crime.

Ottawa lawyer Lawrence Greenspon, who represents the women and three others who returned to Canada in April, said people "needn't worry" that they would be a threat to public safety.

"What’s happened here is the rights of Canadians overseas have been violated for a period of five years, and now, they’re going to be brought home, be reunited with their families and integrated back into Canadian society," Greenspon said of the group, who had been held in the camps because they are wives, widows and children of foreigners suspected of joining the Islamic State during the Syrian civil war.

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Two Canadian women and three children on way home from detention camps in Syria

The peace bond is a way of imposing conditions on them, such as mandatory use of electronic monitoring bracelets, curfews, and denial of access to the internet and social media, Greenspon said.

The sisters-in-law and the three children, whose mother is one of them, were part of a group of 19 Canadians that Global Affairs Canada agreed to bring home after they sued the federal government. A settlement was reached in January.

Fourteen of them arrived in Canada in April. The other five failed to show up for that flight, with neither their lawyers nor the Canadian government seemingly aware of what had happened to them for several days.

One of their lawyers later said that the women and children had been detained by Kurdish guards who would not allow them to travel and board the plane at that time.

On Thursday, the five returned to Canada. On Friday, the RCMP said the two women had been taken to Alberta and appeared in Provincial Court for a bail hearing in relation to Terrorism Peace Bond applications.

The women were released from custody, Mounties said, and are subject to a number of bail conditions pending the hearing of the application.

Global Affairs Canada said in a statement it could not provide information or details of the recent repatriation due to reasons of privacy and operational security.

"Canada remains steadfast in its commitment to the fight against Daesh and global terrorism while vigorously defending human rights both domestically and abroad," the federal agency said in a statement. "Where there is sufficient evidence, law enforcement and public safety agencies will independently take the necessary steps to keep our communities safe.

“We reiterate that it is a serious criminal offence for anyone to leave Canada to knowingly support a terrorist group and those who engage in these activities will face the full force of Canadian law. We remain committed to taking every possible step to ensure the safety and security of Canadians."

Greenspon called bringing the five repatriated Canadians home a "life-changing" milestone for them.

“These women and children have been in detention camps in horrible conditions for five years. They’re Canadians," he said. "The government has now seen fit, thankfully and finally, to bring them home … Clearly, the women and children are going to need some support. They’re going to need some counselling. Those things are already in place, ready to go.”

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Nahreman Issa, CTV National News correspondent Judy Trinh and The Canadian Press



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