Yusuf Zahab

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Yusuf Zahab
Yusuf Zahab, in al-Sina’a prison.
Yusuf Zahab, in al-Sina’a prison.
BornApril 2004[1]
Sydney, Australia[1]
NationalityAustralia
Known forwas sent from a refugee camp to extrajudicial detention when he turned 14, reported killed in 2022, at 17 years old

Yusuf Zahab is an Australian youth who was taken to Syria at the age of eleven when the region was under Daesh control. His journey into the conflict zone began with his family's move to the so-called Islamic State, which led to his eventual detention in various facilities controlled by different factions in Syria.[2][3]

Early Life and Detention[edit]

Zahab was among the many foreign children swept into the harsh realities of war when Daesh's territorial control collapsed. After the fall, he, along with other children, was placed in refugee camps and later transferred to adult detention facilities due to age-related policies. Reports indicate that Zahab was moved to Gweiran prison, where he was reportedly wounded during an attack in early 2022. Initially believed to have died from these injuries, later evidence suggested otherwise.[4][5]

Presumed Death and Subsequent Sighting[edit]

News outlets reported Zahab's death following intense fighting in the prison, with some sources citing his injuries from an Islamic State (IS) attack.[1][6] However, this narrative was challenged in August 2023 when a video emerged showing Zahab alive, contradicting earlier reports of his demise.[7][8]

Conditions of Detention[edit]

Zahab's detention was marked by overcrowding and poor sanitary conditions, leading to health issues including tuberculosis.[1] The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned the conditions under which he was held, describing them as potentially amounting to torture.[9]

Human Rights and Repatriation Efforts[edit]

The case of Yusuf Zahab has brought attention to the plight of foreign nationals, particularly children, detained in northeastern Syria. Human rights organizations have advocated for the repatriation of these individuals, highlighting the lack of judicial process and the inhumane conditions of detention. Zahab's situation underscores the broader issue of how countries like Australia handle the repatriation of their citizens from conflict zones.[4][10]

Recent Developments[edit]

In a significant turn of events, on February 27, 2024, SBS News aired segments from an exclusive interview with Zahab, shedding light on his current status and his desire to return to Australia. This interview was conducted within the confines of his prison camp, offering a rare glimpse into the life of those detained in similar circumstances.[11][12]

Broader Implications[edit]

Zahab's case illustrates the complex human rights issues faced by children in conflict zones, particularly those associated with extremist groups through no fault of their own. It raises questions about international law, child welfare, and the responsibilities of nations towards their citizens caught in foreign conflicts.

[13]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Detained Australian Teenager Dies in Northeast Syria". Human Rights Watch. Canberra. 2022-07-17. Archived from the original on 2023-10-02. Retrieved 2024-01-09. A family representative told Human Rights Watch that an Australian government official had informed relatives on July 17 that Zahab, who would have turned 18 in April, had died from uncertain causes.
  2. ↑ "Australian teenager Yusuf Zahab dies in Syrian prison: Yusuf Zahab, who was taken to Syria when he was 11, died in Kurdish-held prison months after pleading for help". Al Jazeera. 2022-07-18. Archived from the original on 2022-07-18. Retrieved 2024-01-09. Zahab was only 14 when he was separated from his mother and put in a men’s prison along with hundreds of other Syrian and foreign boys.
  3. ↑ Tiffanie Turnbull (2022-07-18). "Yusuf Zahab: Australian teen feared killed in Syrian jail". BBC News. Sydney, Australia. Archived from the original on 2022-07-18. Retrieved 2024-01-09. At the time, Yusuf told family in voice recordings he was scared he 'might die at any time' as fighting intensified. 'I lost a lot of blood... There's no doctors here, there's no one who can help me,' he said.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Kathleen Calderwood (2022-07-19). "Advocates fear for women and children in Syrian camps following death of Yusuf Zahab". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  5. ↑ Tom Joyner (2022-01-25). "Australian teenager begs for help from inside Syrian prison at centre of dramatic battle between Islamic State and Kurdish fighters". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2022-07-19. Caught in the chaos of the attack, the Australian boy has sent a handful of short voice recordings to his family in Sydney, describing the terror of the last few days.
  6. ↑ Tom Stayner (2022-07-18). "'Heartbroken': Australian teenager Yusuf Zahab killed in IS attack on Syrian prison". SBS News. Archived from the original on 2022-07-17. Retrieved 2022-10-29. At 14, Yusuf was separated from his mother and imprisoned in a men’s jail because he was deemed to be reaching an inappropriate age for the camp for women and children.
  7. ↑ Ben Doherty (2023-08-02). "Australian teenager Yusuf Zahab 'alive' in Syrian prison months after reports he was killed in IS strike". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2024-01-06. Retrieved 2024-01-09. While the video is nearly a year old, it appears to confirm Zahab survived the IS attack on the prison where he was being held.
  8. ↑ "Australian teen presumed killed in Syria is still alive, video purportedly shows". The New Arab. London. 2023-08-03. Archived from the original on 2023-08-03. Retrieved 2024-01-09. The teenager was jailed in 2019 at the age of 14 by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
  9. ↑ "UN experts appalled by death of young Australian boy in Syrian detention facility". Office of the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights. Geneva. 2022-07-25. Archived from the original on 2022-07-25. Retrieved 2024-01-09. 'None of these boys, including Yusuf Zahab were subject to any judicial process justifying their detention, and all of them are being held in conditions that could amount to torture, or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment under international law and which have a strong impact on their physical and mental health', the experts said.
  10. ↑ Suzanne Dredge, Alex McDonald (2021-10-19). "More than 40 Australian children still languishing in Syrian detention camp". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 2022-06-18. Retrieved 2022-07-19. Shayma said the family was tricked by her brothers when they arrived. 'Me or my family didn't choose to join ISIS, we were tricked by my brothers, that's how we got into ISIS,' Shayma said. mirror
  11. ↑ "Missing Australian boy Yusuf Zahab speaks with SBS Dateline after being found in a Syrian prison". SBS News. 2024-02-27. Archived from the original on 2024-02-29. Retrieved 2024-03-01. A western Sydney schoolboy was taken to Syria with his family to live under IS in 2015. After the fall of the so-called caliphate, he was swept up into the adult Kurdish prison system and feared dead. Now, he has spoken exclusively to SBS Dateline. The full documentary will appear in the coming weeks.
  12. ↑ Agnes Teek, Colin Cosier (2024-03-01). "I was taken from Australia as a boy to live under IS in Syria. Now I want to come home". SBS News. Archived from the original on 2024-03-01. Retrieved 2024-03-01. Dateline was granted access to interview Yusuf by the Kurdish authorities that govern the northeastern Syrian region.
  13. ↑ Caitlin Cassidy (2022-07-18). "Sydney teen Yusuf Zahab believed to have died in IS attack on Syrian jail after begging Australia for help". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2022-07-18. Retrieved 2022-07-19. At the time, the Syrian Democratic Forces said they wouldn’t take responsibility for the 700 boys detained in the prison as the fighting continued, amid reports of fatalities and children being used as human shields. mirror
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