Jack Letts
Write to the Canadian Foreign Minister demanding the release of Jack Letts
Jack Letts grew up in Oxford. He was a curious teenager who converted to Islam and threw himself into learning Arabic by travelling abroad in 2014, when he was 17. He never came home.
Jack ended up in Syria, where he found himself trapped, threatened, and unable to leave. Since 2017, he has been held in prison without charge, without due process, and without contact with his family. He has spent the entirety of his twenties, what his father calls "the prime of his life", being tortured in detention. He is now 30.
In February 2026, the situation became even more dire. The US transferred thousands of detainees from Syrian prisons to Iraq in an unannounced operation - and Jack is now reported to be among them, held at Al Karkh prison in Baghdad. Iraq is one of the world's leading executioners. Trials there last minutes, convictions rest on confessions extracted under torture, and the sentence is execution or life imprisonment. Jack's family have heard nothing. The British government, which stripped him of his citizenship in 2019, says it doesn't know where he is. Nobody in power is looking.
That has to change - and Canada can change it.
Jack holds Canadian citizenship through his father. In 2023, a Federal Court judge effectively directed Ottawa to seek his repatriation. The Canadian government has ignored that ruling. Every day it continues to do so, Jack edges closer to a death sentence in a prison system his own father describes as a place where you don't come back from.
Write to Canada's Foreign Minister today. Jack Letts is a Canadian citizen facing execution. Demand his repatriation now.
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Dear Anita Anand,
As you are aware, Jack Letts, is a Canadian citizen who has been unlawfully held in a Kurdish run prison in Syria since 2017, where he faced torture, mistreatment and no due process.
As Canada’s Foreign Minister, you are responsible for Jack’s wellbeing. In February 2026, Jack alongside hundreds of other men, were renditioned to Iraq and are being held in former US air bases, which were previously used to torture detainees. You are aware of Jack’s whereabouts and have a duty to protect him from harm. Iraq is notorious for illegal detention and execution of prisoners, and there is a strong concern that Jack’s life is in danger.
As someone who has been tortured for 10 years, had no contact with his family and never been tried for any crime, his suffering must come to an end.
The Canadian government must ensure Jack’s immediate safety, and secure his release from prison and repatriation back to Canada. Not doing so would mean you are failing in your obligations and he could face torture and execution.
Yours sincerely,
A concerned citizen
