Lewes Father Steps Up Campaign For Return Of Daughter's Body

A father from Lewes is appealing to the European Court of Human Rights in a bid to get the body of his daughter, killed while fighting in Syria in 2018, returned to him, reports the BBC.

Anna Campbell, 27, was fighting with Kurdish forces in Syria when she was killed by a Turkish drone strike in 2018.

In an interview with her father, Dirk Campbell, the BBC heard that he is appealing to the European Court of Human Rights to force Turkey to repatriate his daughter's body. 

He says he has been completely ignored by Turkish authorities, even after he asked for safe passage to be taken to where she died.

Mr Campbell told the BBC, "the British Foreign Office has been no help. So, I am taking my case to the European Court of Human Rights where I hope to be given justice and to have international attention drawn to Turkey's widespread crimes against humanity."

The Foreign Office told the BBC: "Consular support is not available from the British government from within Syria, as all services of the British Embassy in Damascus are suspended, and all diplomatic and consular staff have been withdrawn."

Ms Campbell, also known as Hêlîn Qereçox, went to Syria in 2017 to fight against Islamic State alongside all-female Kurdish forces the YPJ in the Deir ez-Zor campaign, an attack on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant stronghold of Deir ez-Zor.

She was the first British woman to die fighting for the YPJ.

At the time, they paid tribute to her, saying: 

"Our British comrade Hêlîn Qereçox (Anna Campbell) has become the symbol of all women after resisting against fascism in Afrin to create a free world. We promise to fulfill Şehîd (martyr) Hêlîn’s struggle and honour her memory in our fight for freedom." (Wikipedia)

Following her death in the Afrin district, her father started a campaign to recover her body, which he was told by aid organisations, could not be reached until a ceasefire was in place.

The Sussex Express reported in 2019 that Mr Campbell had started a crowdfunding campaign named Crowdjustice in order to raise money for legal fees that would possibly be accrued as he attempted to make formal representations to the Turkish government and take legal actions against them if necessary.

He told the Express at the time: 

“I have not had the courtesy of a reply to my repeated request to the Turkish embassy in London.

“Meetings with the Foreign Office proved fruitless despite promises to ‘do our best’. My MP has done nothing.

“I have no option but to seek legal action.

“Anna gave her life fighting for freedom and the rights and lives of others.

“It is an embarrassment to the UK and a disgrace and shame on Turkey that her body is left to rot in the rubble of a ruined city.”

There have since been numerous protests over her death, especially in Bristol where she had previously lived for three years.

Mr Campbell has said he believes an appeal to the ECHR has now his only hope of recovering her body and holding Turkey to account for its "unacceptable behaviour".