Footage has emerged from Syria, purportedly showing rebel fighters freeing women from their prison cells. The video, which has been authenticated by AP news, shows several women being released from their confinement, including a small child.
As they entered the cells, rebel fighters were heard telling the female inmates “please don’t be afraid, you can go out now. We’re part of the revolution.”
The women were released and told they were free to leave.
On Sunday, after charging across Syria’s main cities over eleven days, the armed rebel alliance declared Damascus “liberated” in a video statement on state television, sending Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his family fleeing to Russia where they have been granted political asylum.
The rebel coalition, who have called themselves the “Military Operations Command” comprises of groups of Islamist and moderate factions who are united in fighting common enemies, including the Assad regime, ISIS and the militias backed by Iran.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the latest events as “difficult” but reiterated “there’s no change to the assessment that has been made there” in terms of the security situation.
Albanese did not respond directly to a question about the Northern Syrian camps and whether there was any efforts to attempt to assist the children in the camps.
Overnight, multiple news sites have reported at least 40 Australian women and children remain trapped in a detention camp in Syria, with food, shelter and medicine supplies deteriorating by the day.
The 10 women and 30 children are the wives, widows and children of slain or imprisoned Islamic State fighters. They are being held in detention camps in Syria’s Kurdish-controlled north-east — most of them since 2019. Many children were born inside the camps, and have never known life outside.
On two separate occasions in 2019 and 2022, the Australian government conducted two limited repatriations to bring dozens of women and children who went to Syria under Islamic State back to Australia.
The father of one woman and child who were returned to Australia in October 2022 said this week the remaining Australian citizens inside the camps are “freaking out” and “terrified”.
Kamalle Dabboussy, who is acting as the families’ advocate, said the women “report a reduction in the number of guards” at their al-Roj detention camp.
“They are scared for their lives,” Dabboussy told media. “The fear is palpable. Rumours abound in the camp about what is happening. Nobody knows.”
“Women also report a reduction in the number of guards who would normally ensure the security and stability of the camps. Now these families are gripped with anxiety about what will happen in the coming days or weeks.”
Since 2019, dozens of Australians have remained trapped in the camps while other countries have successfully taken steps to repatriate their nationals from Syria. In June 2023, The Human Rights Law Centre called on the Albanese Government to repatriate all Australian people still held in detention camps in Syria, releasing a statement that insisted that “All Australian people have the right to return to Australia. The rights and protections of citizenship cannot depend on the whims of governments. The Albanese Government’s failure to act earlier has cost lives and put other lives at risk.”
Josephine Langbien, Senior Lawyer at the Human Rights Law Centre, described the situation faced by the Australians in Syria as “dire and dangerous.”
“The Australian Government’s refusal to repatriate them is the only reason they remain there,” she said. “Every person involved in this case has a right to come home, and they should not have to resort to litigation to force their own government to bring them back.”
“The Albanese Government is prolonging the trauma these Australians have endured and the separation from their loved ones at home. The Albanese Government must take responsibility for the safety of its citizens and ensure that no more lives are lost. All of these people, children and adults alike, deserve a future. They must be brought home to their families and communities in Australia.”