Judge to rule on motion filed by T&T families of refugees in Syria
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) — A High Court judge will early next year rule on a lawsuit as to whether or not more than 50 nationals living under what had been described as “dire conditions” in Syria should be allowed into Trinidad and Tobago.
Justice Joan Charles says she will give her ruling on January 27, in the lawsuit filed by the families of a group of women and children who are seeking to return to Trinidad and Tobago.
Earlier this year, the children and wives of men who are suspected of fighting for Islamic State (IS), wrote to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, urging him to consider their plight and allow them to return home.
The Trinidadians had arrived at the camp in December 2018 as part of an exodus of people who had fled after the capture of IS territory by a Us-backed military campaign spearheaded by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
On Monday, Justice Charles, who had been due to hear oral submissions by attorneys for the applicants and the State, rescheduled the matter and ordered the filing of submissions instead. She said she will give her decision on January 27 at a virtual hearing.
The families have filed for both a judicial review and a constitutional motion on behalf of those at the camp in Syria, claiming that the women and children form part of a vulnerable group because of their refugee status and were at risk of exploitation and abuse.
They are also facing the threat of the novel coronavirus. At least five of the children were born in Syria.
At a previous hearing,
Justice Charles said she wanted to move the matter further with Senior Counsel Elton Prescott, the lead attorney for the families, saying any delay “adds to the agony of those abroad”.
He has suggested that as citizens, those in Syria cannot be denied entry into the country, but Senior Counsel Reginald Armour, who is leading the State’s defence, said it has not been established that those in Syria are citizens of Trinidad and Tobago.
“It is relevant to determine if they are even citizens. So far, that information is not available to the State. That is a very important point to be verified in any repatriation point,” Armour said.
Justice Charles, in approving the suggestion to hear the judicial review and constitutional claims together, had acknowledged that there might be national security concerns.
In their application, the families said they made several attempts to have the issue of repatriation addressed since April last year. They also argued that conditions at the camp were unsafe and unhealthy, with hardly any food or water, and there was an infestation of flies. Toilet facilities are holes dug into the ground.
The families also argued that at least five countries have repatriated their citizens from the camp, including France, the US and the UK, which started repatriating children.
Earlier this month, attorney Christian J Williams said he had written to Prime Minister Rowley urging the Government to allow those in the camps in Syria back into the country.
“For the past two years, the Government has been running around in circles [and] we must get a concrete conclusion to this issue. If it is, for example, they do not wish to acknowledge our Trinidadian nationality, just come out by way of statement and say so and that will solve all problems,” Williams said on the I955FM radio station.