Australian teenager feared dead in Rojava jail

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An Australian teenager held at the al-Sinaa prison in northeast Syria (Rojava) is feared dead after being detained for three years on charges of being affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIS), a rights organization said on Monday.

Yusuf Zahab, 17, died from uncertain causes in the Kurdish-held prison in Hasaka province, a family representative told Human Rights Watch (HRW). He had previously caught tuberculosis in the squalid prison facility in 2021.

"Today we are heartbroken and angry," Zahab's family said on Sunday, adding "Yusuf did not need to die. The Australian government knew about Yusuf's predicament for more than three years" and criticized the lack of effort by Australia to rescue him.

Zahab was born in Sydney and taken to Syria after relatives "forced" him to cross from Turkey, and was taken into custody by the SDF in 2019.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrested thousands of ISIS fighters along with their wives and children when they took control of the group’s last stronghold in Syria in March 2019.

The al-Sinaa prison, which houses around 5,000 foreign and local ISIS fighters, was the battleground in a major prison break attempt by ISIS cells as they attacked the facility on January 21. 

The ensuing week-long battle between ISIS and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) led to the deaths of nearly 500 people. 

Rojava authorities have repeatedly called on the international community to take back their ISIS-linked nationals, saying they lack the appropriate resources to provide for them. 

However, their calls have often gone unanswered as foreign countries are unwilling to repatriate their nationals, citing security concerns.

"Tragically, the reported death of Yusuf Zahab should be no surprise to Australia and other governments that have outsourced responsibility for their nationals held in horrific conditions in northeast Syria," Letta Tayler, associate crisis and conflict director at HRW said, pleading with the international community to repatriate their nationals.

The previous Australian government repatriated eight citizens only.

The SDF are holding between 69 to 80 Autralian nationals, including nine women and 39 children, Kamalle Dabboussy who represents Zahab and other detainees’ families told HRW.