Families sue French FM over children stuck in Syria

PARIS: The families of several children and wives of French jihadist fighters in  Syria  have filed lawsuits against France’s top diplomat over his refusal to let them come to France, lawyers said Monday.
The suits, filed in July and September, accuse Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian of “failing to provide aid” to people in “danger” at camps operated by Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in northeastern  Syria .
The complaints were filed with the Court of Justice of the Republic (CJR), which hears cases over alleged misconduct by former or serving ministers.
It is the latest legal challenge to France’s longstanding opposition to allowing the children and wives of suspected jihadists in  Syria  or Iraq to return home.
The government, which says it considers requests on a case-by-case basis only, has brought back just 17 children since March, many of them orphans.
Critics say the policy exposes innocent victims of the war, many of whom have suffered serious trauma during the fighting and coalition bombardments, to long-term psychological risks.