Canadian men and children held in Syria pursue human-rights complaints against Ottawa

Canadian men and children held in Syria pursue human-rights complaints against Ottawa

The al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria's Hasakeh province on Jan. 30.

A dozen Canadian men and children detained in Syria are complaining to the Canadian Human Rights Commission that Ottawa is discriminating against them by not assisting their return to Canada.

The Canadians are among the foreign nationals who have endured squalid and dangerous conditions for years in camps and prisons run by Kurdish forces that reclaimed the war-ravaged region from militant group the Islamic State.

Some Canadian women and children have been repatriated in recent years with help from Canadian officials and the co-operation of Kurdish authorities.

There are 12 complainants in the human-rights commission case – five