"Conditions in the north-eastern Syrian camp to where 34 Australians have been forcibly returned are deteriorating dramatically, with reports of near-nightly raids, and increasingly violent beatings, amid worsening uncertainty over their futures. The 11 women and 23 Australian children forced back to Roj camp on Monday returned to find their tents formerly huddled collectively in a row known as "Australia Street" demolished and their possessions seized."
"They have been given Australians passports and permission to leave Roj camp. But their efforts to reach Damascus, and from there, flights to Australia, were thwarted when Syrian government officials stopped their convoy, refusing them permission to cross into government-controlled territory. They were forced back to Roj, in Syria's far north-east, near to the Turkish and Iraqi borders. It is expected to be transferred from Kurdish control into the hands of the Syrian government soon."
Conditions in the north-eastern Roj camp have worsened, with near-nightly raids, violent beatings and increasing uncertainty for 34 forcibly returned Australians. The group of 11 women and 23 children returned to find tents on "Australia Street" demolished and possessions seized, and Kurdish officials have reportedly refused to return the tents, scattering them across the shrinking camp. There is no reliable line of communication with the group and their prospects for further repatriation are unclear. The women and children, identified as wives, widows and children of slain or jailed Islamic State fighters, were granted passports but were blocked when attempting to leave by Syrian government officials.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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