France: orphans of French jihadist

Written by David Fletcher 07 Mar 2019
France: orphans of French jihadist

The grandmother of two orphans of French jihadists held in a Syrian camp is suing the French state for failing to bring them back to France. The children, aged five and two, are in the care of Kurdish militia and ‘in real danger without more international military protection’, said their solicitor, Ms Maktouf. ‘These children, born under terror, should not undergo further suffering. France has a duty to protect them.’ The boy’s mother was aged 14 when she ran away from her French home to go to the stronghold of Raqqa in 2014. Ms Maktouf said she will argue in court that France has a duty of care towards the two orphans because it is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. No date has been set for a court hearing.

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