Canada: UN experts call for urgent repatriation of seriously ill woman from Syria camp

GENEVA (10 February 2022) - UN human rights experts* have called on Canada to urgently repatriate from Syria a woman who has life threatening illnesses, and who is being held at a camp under conditions meeting the threshold of torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.

Kimberly Polman travelled to Syria in 2015 at the behest of her future husband whom she met online. He had promised her a future family life and a job in healthcare.

“Victims or potential victims of trafficking should not be placed in situations that expose them to multiple forms of abuses,” the experts said. “The failure of their home State to protect individuals in such situations perpetuates and contributes to further victimisation of those who have already experienced violence and trauma.”

Ms. Polman has been detained at various camps since March 2019 absent any legal charges or legal process. She is currently held at Roj camp in Syria’s northeast.

A recent examination by Doctors Without Borders states that her condition is “life threatening”, as Ms. Polman suffers from hepatitis, kidney inflammation/enlargement, untreated Hashimoto’s disease, bone/muscle issues, post-traumatic stress disorder and other extremely serious mental health issues. She is lacking access to the health care and services she requires. Additionally, she has several broken teeth and has been deprived of her prescription eyeglasses. As a result of her abhorrent detention conditions and the hunger strike she has undertaken in protest, Ms. Polman has lost more than half of her body weight.

The Canadian Government has not heeded her family’s requests for repatriation, for access to immediate medical health, or for assistance in replacing her Canadian passport, a prerequisite to any return to Canada.

“The Canadian authorities’ outright refusal to assist her so that she has urgent access to healthcare, or at the very least to facilitate the transfer of money from her family so that she is able to improve her health and living conditions, is a clear violation of her right to health and could amount to violations of the right to life and the prohibition of cruel and inhumane treatment,” the experts said.

“Canada has a duty to immediately act to protect the rights of this vulnerable young woman. The authorities must exercise due diligence and take positive and effective measures to protect the life of this extremely ill Canadian national. The continuation of her detention is a clear violation of her rights, and the recent security developments in an extremely volatile area of Syria underlines the urgency of her return home.”

The experts have been in contact with the Government of Canada since autumn 2021.

ENDS

*The experts: Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism; Tlaleng Mofokeng, Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health; Siobhán Mullally, Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children; Nils Melzer, Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; Morris Tidball-Binz, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; Elina Steinerte (Chair-Rapporteur), Miriam Estrada-Castillo (Vice-Chair), Leigh Toomey, Mumba Malila, Priya Gopalan, Working Group on arbitrary detention; and Melissa Upreti (Chair), Dorothy Estrada Tanck (Vice-Chair), Elizabeth Broderick, Ivana Radačić, and Meskerem Geset Techane, Working Group on discrimination against women and girls. 

The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council's independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures' experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.