UK mother of man held in Syria since 2017 calls for repatriation

The mother of a British-born man held for nearly nine years without trial in Syria has called for his repatriation to the UK or Canada as the US plans to airlift 7,000 Islamic State-linked prisoners from Syria to Iraq.

- Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor

Sally Lane, the mother of Jack Letts, 30, said she was “frantically trying to find out as much as possible” and that it was unclear if he would face the death penalty in Iraq or remain in Syria - or be sent to Canada or the UK in line with US demands.

Neither the Canadian nor British government has updated her after an outbreak of fighting in Syria last week left the future of prisoners from up to 70 countries uncertain. “We’ve heard absolutely nothing. They think we don’t deserve to know,” Lane said.

But she said the UK and others could not easily ignore the issue after the US intervention. “I can’t see that western governments will allow their citizens to be put on trial in Iraq where they have the death penalty and flawed trials.” She said Canada or the UK could charge Letts with terror offences on home ground. “If there’s evidence, put them on trial. But there is no evidence,” Lane said.