Russia is not taking repatriation of ISIS fighter wives, children seriously: activist

Khaida Saratov, head of the Russian Mothers Society, sat down with Rudaw’s Khalid Hussein on December 2 in Moscow. She discussed the organization’s efforts to bring home the wives and children of Islamic State (ISIS) fighters.

So far, 122 children of Russian origin have been repatriated and reunited with relatives. Many more are yet to be repatriated, Saratov said, but finding out their precise locations is proving difficult. She believes the number of Russian women and children still in Iraq and Syria is far larger than those who have been repatriated. She said one of her organization’s offices, based in Chechnya, has so far received 3,500 applications from people seeking assistance from them to help repatriate their woman and child relatives from Iraq and Syria.

Saratov accused the Russian government of not taking repatriation of ISIS fighter kin seriously, as some Moscow officials believe they are a threat to Russia's national security. However, others have agreed with her stance that they all ought to be repatriated. The organization has received little international support for its repatriation efforts, she added, with the exception of Iraq.

Below is the translated version of the interview.

Rudaw: How is the process of repatriation of Islamic State (ISIS) wives and children going?

Khaida Saranov: As we know, a group of 122 children have so far been repatriated and handed to their grandmothers or close relatives. Allow me to start off by thanking the government and state of Iraq, who helped return life to them because they had once been subject to death or injury. I would also like to thank your nation for their stance on this matter. We know why [these ISIS families] migrated to your land, yet you showed humanity and allowed them to return to their country. I am sure these children will appreciate it for the rest of their lives.

What is important for me to know is why have only 122 children been repatriated. What is the difference between them and those who remain in Iraq and Syria?

The repatriated were children who had been jailed along their mothers in Baghdad.

With respect to comments made by Anna Yurievna Kuznetsova, the Children's Rights Commissioner for the President of the Russian Federation, where she allegedly said they had completed the repatriation of ISIS children - let me explain to you that she meant the latest group repatriated was the last group of children held in Baghdad prisons, not from the whole of Iraq.

There are still many other children left in Iraq. Those remaining are either sheltered in refugee camps, prisons…According to our information, and published photos and videos, many Russian women and children who joined ISIS are still in Iraq.  For example, there is a woman whose name is Janat... She has just learned that that her daughter is in Iraq after recognizing her in a picture she was shown. Though Janat is unsure where her granddaughters are, there is information that indicates they have been placed in a camp specially designed for children near a Baghdad prison.

Then where are the other thousands of children and women who are said to be in Iraq? If they are not in prisons, where are they?

This is an important question that we have not yet been able to answer.

So there is no information on their whereabouts?

No, we do not know. We just have unverified information that they are held in special camps. We have also been told that some of the children and women have been taken to Iran. During the fight against Daesh [Islamic State], there were some Iranian groups in Iraq. It is said they have taken Caucasian women with them. We have photographs as evidence.

Why were they taken to Iran?

To be honest, we do not know why... You know the kind of situation war creates. Anything can happen during war. Sometimes things happen that are very unexpected.

As we know, there are thousands of Russian women and children at refugee camps of Iraq and Syria. Why doesn’t someone from your organisation go to look for them and see what is happening there?

You know, I have been working towards this over the past two years. We have called upon the president of Russia, the foreign ministry and many others. I told them that they [wives and children of ISIS fighters] are Russian people. According to Russian law, no one has the authority to strip them of Russian citizenship just because they have made a mistake. Additionally, no country needs them - for example, Iraq. Rather, they have become a burden, as they have to be fed and receive medical care. They ought to be back on the Russian soil by now, no matter the verdict they will face [in court].

I think the right thing to do is repatriate our people. To meet than end, I am exerting maximum efforts. I have been in talks with Russian MPs, who agreed they should be allowed to return because, like I said, they are citizens of Russia. We have no other options to study.

As far as I know, some of the Russian women have been tried. How did that go?

The children who were repatriated over the past few phases belong to those women who have been sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison.

Do not you have any data to show how many children, women and Islamic State militants of Russian origin are still alive and have not yet been returned?

No, we do not have precise figures. However, in one of our organization’s offices - a small one - some 3,500 people have reached out to us seeking help for the repatriation of their children. In just one office.  One hundred fifty children who were born [in Iraq and Syria] have lost both parents.

Sorry, I did not fully understand - which organization, and where is it located?

We have an organization in Chechnya called Information Organization. It is tasked only with repatriation. People across Russia reach out to them in order to help repatriate their children. Not just in Russia -  people from European countries including Norway, France, Belgium and Austria have contacted them too. A short while ago, we even received calls from Africa and America asking Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov help return their women and children.

I would like to know to what extent are you able to travel to Iraq and Syria to search for your people. Does Iraq, Russia or Syria assist you? Have you had visa or security issues?

As a matter of fact, I have not yet tried to visit. Even if I did, I do not speak the [Arabic] language. I can just go as far as the airport and from there, I need support from the Iraqi and Russian governments. I have not yet been able to receive this support. I have only received support from Iraq’s embassy in Moscow. They helped us obtain some information…and backed us and assured us. I am really grateful for what have they done.

Concerning Russia, I do not see any interest from the Russian government in repatriating our citizens. I have heard the Director of the Russian Federal Security Service Nikolai Patrushev say many times that the return of ISIS women and children will pose a threat to the security of our country.

I would like to say one thing - I am in close contact with them [Russian authorities]. There is a degree of understanding that those who pose less threat should be repatriated, instead of leaving them in limbo.

Let us suppose they serve 15 years behind bars and after this period of time, they can return [to Russia]. What kind of person will they ultimately become for Russia? If we return them to Russia now, they will be grateful. They know they have been deceived. They migrated there because they did not have the correct information on Islam - not just the women, but the men too. They were all deceived and taken to join an organization killing women and children. The organization called Islamic State, or Daesh, has nothing in common with Islam.

Translation by Zhelwan Z. Wali

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