Finland repatriates minor from Iraq after years in Syria camp

Finnish authorities have repatriated a minor boy from Iraq to Finland after years spent in Syria’s al-Hol camp, following a court decision in Baghdad that cleared his return.

The Finnish foreign ministry said the boy arrived in Finland on Friday after an Iraqi court ordered his release on 31 March and his transfer to the Finnish embassy in Baghdad. Officials confirmed that he holds only Finnish citizenship.

The boy had been taken to Syria in the mid-2010s and was placed in the al-Hol camp in February 2019.