Amira (Canadian orphan)

Amira is a former refugee, from Syria, who was dramatically re-united with her family, in Canada, in 2020.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Amira was born in the Daesh (ISIS) controlled enclave of Syria, around 2016.^[3] Her parents, Canadian citizens, had settled there.^[1] Her parents, and her siblings, were killed in an explosion during the final attack that collapsed the Daesh enclave.

Most western nations, including Canada, have been slow at repatriating their citizens from refugee camps in Syria. Amira's family went over to court, arguing that they should be allowed to bring her back to Canada, to live with them.^[1] As a child of Canadian citizens Amira is automatically a Canadian citizen, no matter where she was born.

Kurdish officials, in the Kurdish controlled region of wartorn Syria where her refugee camp was located said they were prepared to release her, for repatriation, as soon as a Canadian official came to the camp to confirm she was welcome in Canada.^[1]

Kurdish officials handed Amira over to Canadian officials on October 4, 2020, and she was returned to Canada on October 5, 2020.^[2]^[4] The Guardian reported she was the first Canadian dependent refugee to be repatriated. They reported a panel of United Nations human rights officials had officially called for Canada to repatriate Amira.^[5]

In an opinion piece entitled "Bring them home", Macleans magazine cited Amira's handover to senior Canadian diplomat Gregory Galligan as proof that concerns over the safety of Canadian officials could be easily dealt with.^[6] They reported that Amira was handed over to a delegation, lead by Galligan, in "the gleaming AANES offices in the Syrian Kurdish city of Qamlishi on the Turkish border."

Her repatriation triggered controversy.^[3]^[7] Canadan Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described her case as "exceptional". According to Human Rights Watch, she was the only Canadian refugee who was a child orphan, but the camps held 26 other Canadian children, 13 women and 8 men. Human Rights Watch called for them all to be repatriated.

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 Paul Workman (2020-02-26). "Canadian meets orphaned niece in Syria but forced to leave her behind". CTV News. London. Retrieved 2025-11-15. The uncle learned one crucial detail in his meetings with Kurdish officials. They told him they would be happy to release Amira, once a Canadian diplomat had travelled to the region to make a formal request. That apparently was a red line. Canada has consistently argued the situation is too dangerous to offer consular services, even though many other countries have done exactly that.
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Stewart Bell (2021-09-28). "Why Canada took 18 months to get an orphan out of a Syrian detention camp". Global News. Retrieved 2025-11-15. Asked why the government had not repatriated the roughly three dozen Canadians, mostly children, still at camps for ISIS captives, a spokesperson cited “the security situation on the ground.”
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 Adrian Humphreys (2020-07-14). "Lawsuit seeks to bring orphaned Canadian daughter of suspected ISIL parents from Syrian camp to Canada". National Post. Retrieved 2025-11-15. On Tuesday, the uncle, on behalf of Amira, asked for the Federal Court of Canada to force Ottawa to intervene.
↑ Leyland Cecco (2020-10-05). "Orphaned girl freed from Syrian detention camp to join family in Canada". The Guardian. Toronto. Retrieved 2025-11-15. Amira was taken to the Kurdish-run al-Hawl camp after she was found by a roadside following an airstrike which killed her parents and siblings. Both her parents were Canadian and are suspected to have joined the Islamic State in Syria, where she was born.
↑ "Canada urged to repatriate orphaned five-year-old girl held in Syrian camp" (Press release). OHCHR. Geneva. 2020-05-20. Retrieved 2025-11-15. UN experts today called on Canada to secure the urgent release and repatriation of a five-year-old orphaned girl being held in inhuman conditions in north-eastern Syria’s overcrowded Al-Hol camp.
↑ Terry Glavin (2021-02-17). "Bring them home". Macleans magazine. Retrieved 2025-11-16. Ottawa’s public position remains unchanged, even though several senior Canadian officials arrived safely in limousines for an Oct. 7 meeting with senior Kurdish officials at the gleaming AANES offices in the Syrian Kurdish city of Qamlishi on the Turkish border, and left with Amira without difficulty, according to the AANES foreign relations department. The Canadian delegation was led by Canada’s executive coordinator for Syria, Gregory Galligan, a diplomat based in Beirut.
↑ Letta Tayler (2020-10-06). "Don't Let Orphan's Canadian Homecoming Be an Exception: Ottawa Should Repatriate 46 Others Held in Northeast Syria" (Press release). Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 2025-11-15. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday that Amira’s case was “exceptional” and a one-off. While Amira may be the only Canadian orphan held in northeast Syria, her fellow citizens – 26 children, 13 women, and 8 men – are also in desperate need.

[Ctv2020-02-26-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 Paul Workman (2020-02-26). "Canadian meets orphaned niece in Syria but forced to leave her behind". CTV News. London. Retrieved 2025-11-15. The uncle learned one crucial detail in his meetings with Kurdish officials. They told him they would be happy to release Amira, once a Canadian diplomat had travelled to the region to make a formal request. That apparently was a red line. Canada has consistently argued the situation is too dangerous to offer consular services, even though many other countries have done exactly that.

[GlobalNews2021-09-28-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Stewart Bell (2021-09-28). "Why Canada took 18 months to get an orphan out of a Syrian detention camp". Global News. Retrieved 2025-11-15. Asked why the government had not repatriated the roughly three dozen Canadians, mostly children, still at camps for ISIS captives, a spokesperson cited “the security situation on the ground.”

[NationalPost2020-07-14-3] 3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 Adrian Humphreys (2020-07-14). "Lawsuit seeks to bring orphaned Canadian daughter of suspected ISIL parents from Syrian camp to Canada". National Post. Retrieved 2025-11-15. On Tuesday, the uncle, on behalf of Amira, asked for the Federal Court of Canada to force Ottawa to intervene.

[theguardian2020-10-05-4] Leyland Cecco (2020-10-05). "Orphaned girl freed from Syrian detention camp to join family in Canada". The Guardian. Toronto. Retrieved 2025-11-15. Amira was taken to the Kurdish-run al-Hawl camp after she was found by a roadside following an airstrike which killed her parents and siblings. Both her parents were Canadian and are suspected to have joined the Islamic State in Syria, where she was born.

[UnHcr2020-05-20-5] "Canada urged to repatriate orphaned five-year-old girl held in Syrian camp" (Press release). OHCHR. Geneva. 2020-05-20. Retrieved 2025-11-15. UN experts today called on Canada to secure the urgent release and repatriation of a five-year-old orphaned girl being held in inhuman conditions in north-eastern Syria’s overcrowded Al-Hol camp.

[Macleans2021-02-17-6] Terry Glavin (2021-02-17). "Bring them home". Macleans magazine. Retrieved 2025-11-16. Ottawa’s public position remains unchanged, even though several senior Canadian officials arrived safely in limousines for an Oct. 7 meeting with senior Kurdish officials at the gleaming AANES offices in the Syrian Kurdish city of Qamlishi on the Turkish border, and left with Amira without difficulty, according to the AANES foreign relations department. The Canadian delegation was led by Canada’s executive coordinator for Syria, Gregory Galligan, a diplomat based in Beirut.

[Hcr2020-10-06-7] Letta Tayler (2020-10-06). "Don't Let Orphan's Canadian Homecoming Be an Exception: Ottawa Should Repatriate 46 Others Held in Northeast Syria" (Press release). Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 2025-11-15. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday that Amira’s case was “exceptional” and a one-off. While Amira may be the only Canadian orphan held in northeast Syria, her fellow citizens – 26 children, 13 women, and 8 men – are also in desperate need.

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