HUMAN Rights Watch (HRW) has called on Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to take immediate steps to repatriate more than 90 Trinidad and Tobago nationals, including over 50 children, who remain detained in war-torn camps and prisons in northeast Syria and Iraq.

In a letter addressed to Persad-Bissessar, HRW children’s rights advocacy director Jo Becker commended her past support for repatriation efforts and urged her to translate that advocacy into action now that she holds the nation’s highest office.

“We urge you to act as quickly as possible to bring home all detained Trinidad and Tobago nationals for rehabilitation and reintegration, prioritising the returns of the most vulnerable, including children,” Becker wrote.