‘Jihadi Jack’ parents ask MPs for help
Dual citizen captured by Kurdish militia
The parents of a British-Canadian man held in Syria on charges he was an ISIL member are pleading with Canadian MPs to help free him, saying politicians here are now the Muslim convert’s best chance of staying alive.
John Letts and Sally Lane wrote to every member of Parliament asking them to put pressure on the federal government to intervene in Jack Letts’ case, and provided a copy of the letter to the National Post.
Though dubbed “Jihadi Jack” by the British media, the residents of Oxford, England, say Letts never joined Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and has condemned their atrocities. Still, his travels resulted in the couple being charged with funding a terrorist group after they tried to send money to him in Syria.
The dual citizen was captured by the Kurdish YPG militia in May after escaping Raqqa — the de-facto ISIL capital until its defeat recently.
The British government has done little to aid Letts, as one cabinet minister has said all Britons who fought for ISIL should be killed.
“We feel that our only hope for saving our son Jack’s life lies with securing the support of parliamentarians who believe in democracy and the rule of law rather than vigilante justice,” the couple told Canadian MPs. “Jack has stated publicly that, if released, he wants to spend the rest of his life ‘bearing witness’ against ISIS.”
When he last contacted his parents in July, Letts claimed to have been tortured, but the Kurds have strenuously denied the charge and accused the parents of manipulating the facts.
Meanwhile, a Kurdish official told the Post that things would turn to Letts’ benefit if Canada got involved.
“Why Canadian government don’t want help (their) citizen abroad?!” the official, who did not give his name, asked by text from the YPG’s WhatsApp account. “When they give you passport of Canada, it says for example $25 fee for (consular) help abroad. But how come they collect millions of dollars and do nothing!?”
The case should become “public and big,” the official said, “otherwise you have to wait till American(s) decide.” Asked if that meant the U.S. forces assisting the Kurds in Syria somehow controlled Letts’ fate, he said only “your free guess.”
“He is criminal but he is human,” the official added, referring to charges laid against Letts by the Kurds.
Philip Hannan, a Global Affairs Canada spokesman, reiterated earlier comments that the department is aware of the case, but would not say Monday if diplomats have talked to the YPG about Letts.
The government “will not comment or release any information which may compromise or risk endangering the safety of Canadian citizens abroad,” he said.
Hélène Laverdière, the NDP foreign affairs critic, said she would like to see Letts brought back here, where he could face prosecution if any evidence surfaces of wrongdoing. She acknowledged it is “not a simple situation,” as Global Affairs lacks anyone on the ground in northern Syria.
“But I would like to see the government step up its efforts,” said Laverdière. “There have been allegations of torture. It’s a serious situation, so the government should get involved … I think we should provide help, especially since the British government seems to have withdrawn from the file.”
A spokesman for Erin O’Toole, the Conservative foreign affairs critic, said the MP did not want to comment.
The parents also say their son and anyone else who spent time in ISIL territory should be detained on returning home and, if warranted, charged criminally — but ought to be presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The 20-year-old became a sensation in Britain in 2014 as the first Caucasian from the U.K. to travel to ISIL territory, having converted at age 16. But the suggestion that he had joined the organization was the invention of a British newspaper, as was the nickname, say Letts and Lane.
In the letter, they say he “condemned (ISIL) repeatedly” in private calls and on social media, and was detained by the terrorist group and tortured, a claim that is impossible to verify.
John Letts grew up in Pain Court, Ont., near Chatham — where his mother and sisters still live — and met his English-born wife in Midland, Ont., then emigrated with her to England in 1985. They and their two children are all dual citizens, and visit Canada regularly, he says.
JACK HAS STATED PUBLICLY THAT HE WANTS TO SPEND THE REST OF HIS LIFE ‘BEARING WITNESS’ AGAINST ISIS.