Global Courant 2023-04-12 04:11:32
Two women from the Toronto area have been granted bail under strict conditions after being repatriated last week from al-Hol camp, an open-air prison in northeastern Syria that houses some of the wives and widows of ISIS fighters.
Ammara Amjad and Dure Ahmed have not been charged, but the Crown is trying to put the mothers on terrorism ties to keep an eye on them. The hearings for the peace bonds have yet to be scheduled.
The women were arrested by RCMP at Montreal airport on April 6, as soon as their flight landed.
After spending five nights in an Ontario jail, Amjad and Ahmed appeared in separate bail hearings Tuesday at the courthouse in Brampton, Ont. They appeared in person wearing black hijabs and face masks. Their relatives were in court.
The judges in both cases granted a publication ban on the evidence presented during the bail proceedings, despite arguments from the Crown for more details to be released. The bans will be lifted when the terrorist peace process begins.
Crown lawyer A. Schacter (left), lawyer Branden Miller (center) and Ammara Amjad (right). (court sketch)
‘LONG WAY AHEAD’
Amjad’s father and brother are her sureties and have each posted $15,000 bail. In Ahmed’s case, a bond of $25,000 was posted, an amount split between three sureties: her mother and two brothers.
Both defendants face similar bail conditions compared to house arrest and will remain with their parents. They will have to wear GPS ankle monitors and their access to cell phones and computers will be limited. Both women are not allowed to use social media and are only allowed to access the internet under supervision to access essential services such as education and health care. They cannot drive a vehicle and must surrender their passport. Amjad and Ahmed also have to go to deradicalisation counselling.
Ahmed’s lawyer, Yoav Niv, said his client is relieved to have been released on bail.
“We have obtained a disputed publication ban and obtained a consent release for this individual. We expect a long road ahead, despite the significant legal process that allowed her to be voluntarily returned to Canada.”
OTHERS REPATRIED
Amjad and Ahmed were among four women and 10 children transported from the region on a US military plane last Thursday. They had spent at least four years in Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces detention camps.
An Edmonton woman who was also repatriated was released on bail last Friday. There is a publication ban on her name as she awaits her hearing on the peace declaration on terrorism.
Two other Alberta women and three children were said to be on the repatriation plane that left Syria last week, but did not show up for the flight. Global Affairs Canada has not provided an update since CTV News first inquired about their whereabouts six days ago.
THOUSANDS IN DETENTION CAMPS
The US State Department says there are still about 10,000 foreigners from 60 different countries in the camps. Most of them are women and children. Another 10,000 men, believed to be ISIS fighters, are being held in prisons.
Since 2021, seven women have been repatriated from detention camps in Syria. So far, only one Montreal woman has been charged with terrorism-related crimes, while the Crown has attempted peace ties with five others.
