5.
Contrary to what has been stated by some Belgian politicians, repatriation of all their nationals
from al Hol and Roj camps is logistically possible and does not pose an insurmountable
safety risk to Belgian officials. This is evidenced by the fact that some repatriations have
already been carried out both by Belgium and other foreign States, including throughout the
pandemic. RSI’s research has revealed that a number of European governments have had a
presence on the ground in the camps (diplomatic, intelligence, and/or military). Belgium has
an ongoing relationship with the SDF as part of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh/ISIS.
Additionally, the US maintains that it is willing to facilitate repatriation efforts.
6.
To date, Belgium has deprived nine women of their citizenship.
On 19 November 2020, the Belgian Government responded to say, in summary:
1.
The Belgian Government is aware of 21 women and 38 children currently in al Hol and Roj
camps who could potentially claim Belgian citizenship.
2.
The Belgian Government considers RSI’s statement about the death of give Belgian toddlers
to be incorrect, though it did not want to be drawn into commenting on individual cases.
3.
The Belgian Government has repatriated five children and one young adult who had been
abducted as a child and who had turned 18 just before her repatriation.
4.
The Belgian Government’s policy on repatriation is correctly reflected by RSI (at point 4, above).
The Belgian Government has attempted to repatriate all children with proven identity from al
Hol and Roj camps, but without the adults. The Belgian Government stated that those attempts
have failed so far as the children have turned out to be inseparable from their mothers, for
reasons that totally escape the control of the Belgian authorities. Therefore, to state that ‘the
Belgian Government has the sole ability to end the arbitrary detention of their nationals’ (as RSI
stated in point 3, above) does not reflect the facts on the ground.
5.
The Belgian Government was unable to confirm or deny RSI’s reports that nine women have
been deprived of their Belgian citizenship, as the loss of Belgian identity is the result of judicial
procedures and the Belgian Government would need more time to check the facts.
FRANCE
On 17 November 2020, RSI presented the following summary of factual findings to the French
Government:
51
1.
RSI’s research shows that there are an estimated 250 French children and 80 French women
being arbitrarily detained in al Hol and Roj camps.
2.
These women and children are being held in inhumane conditions, as noted by numerous
humanitarian organisations and NGOs. Children are dying regularly from preventable and
treatable causes, including malnutrition, pneumonia, dehydration and tent fires. Within five
days between 6 to 10 August 2020, eight children under five years old died in al Hol camp
alone. During its research, RSI was made aware of the death of at least one French toddler in
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