Several Syria Refugees returning home were detained, disappeared and tortured by Syrian security forces, proving that it is still unsafe to return anywhere in the country. Amnesty International Said on Tuesday.
In a section titled `“You will die,” The human rights organization documented what it said were violations committed by Syrian intelligence officials against 66 returnees between mid-2017 and the spring of 2021, including 13 children. Among them are 5 cases of detainees who died in custody after returning to a civil war-torn country, and the fate of 17 forced disappeared persons is still unknown.
The report strongly refutes some countries’ claims that parts of Syria can now be returned safely. It particularly criticized Denmark, Sweden and Turkey for restricting protection and pressured Syrian refugees to return home. It also criticized Lebanon and Jordan, which have the largest number of Syrian refugees per capita.
In Lebanon and Turkey, many refugees face poor living conditions and discrimination, and the government is putting increasing pressure on Syrians to return. According to reports, Turkey has forcibly deported many Syrians in the past two years-these deportations reflect the high anti-refugee sentiment in a country that once opened its borders to millions of Syrians fleeing the civil war.
Earlier this year, Denmark and Sweden began to revoke the residence permits of some Syrian refugees, believing that the Syrian capital Damascus and neighboring areas are now safe.
Few experts agree with this assessment. Although the security situation in government-controlled areas and many areas of central Syria previously controlled by opposition insurgents has stabilized, there are still reports of forced conscription, indiscriminate detention and enforced disappearance. In addition, entire neighborhoods were destroyed and many people were left homeless. Basic services such as water and electricity are poor or even non-existent.
Amnesty International Refugee and Immigrant Rights Researcher Mary Forestier said: “Any government that claims that Syria is now safe is deliberately ignoring the terrible reality on the ground and making refugees worry about their lives again.” She said that although Syria is a big country. Military hostilities in some areas may have subsided, but the Syrian government has “not a tendency to seriously violate human rights.”
After the chlorine cylinder was destroyed, the chemical weapons regulatory agency asked Syria to respond
The Syrian government and its main international supporter, Russia, have publicly called on refugees to return to their homes and accused Western countries of discouraging Syria on the grounds that it is still insecure.
In its report, Amnesty International urged European governments to immediately stop any direct or indirect forcing people to return to their homes. It also called on neighbors Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan, which host most of the Syrian refugees, to protect them from deportation or any other forced return in accordance with their international obligations.
It said that in some cases, the Syrian authorities targeted people returning to Syria simply because they fled, accused them of treason or supported “terrorism”.
The Syrian government often regards allegations of human rights violations as lies.
The report records the Syrian government’s response to refugees returning to Syria from Lebanon, Luqban (an informal settlement between the border between Jordan and Syria), France, Germany, Turkey, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates between mid-2017 and spring. Serious violations committed. 2021. They are based on interviews with 41 Syrians, including returnees and their relatives and friends, as well as lawyers, humanitarian workers and Syrian experts.
According to the report, in some cases, human rights violations include rape or other forms of sexual violence, arbitrary or illegal detention, torture or other ill-treatment.
The decade-long war in Syria has killed about 500,000 people and forced about 5.6 million people to flee abroad as refugees, mainly to neighboring countries.
© 2021 Canadian Press
