Human rights defenders say refugees “are increasingly becoming targets of xenophobia, discrimination, and violent aggression” upon their return to Syria.
Syrian human rights defenders have called on the European Union to help stop the increase in violence against Syrian refugees in Cyprus and Lebanon, including forced deportation.
“The triangle between Lebanon, Syria and Cyprus has catalysed the Syrian refugee catastrophe. We know for sure that many of those who were forced to return to Syria ended up in detention on arrival, or were recruited by the government for military service, with some ending up serving in the Russian army,” said Sawsan Abou Zainedine, CEO of the Madaniya association, in an interview with Euronews in Brussels.
Zainedine and other human rights activists and lawyers recently met with senior officials and members of EU governments to discuss the increase in violence by the authorities hosting Syrian refugees, which has been documented by the United Nations and various non-governmental organisations.
Increased instability in Lebanon, which hosts 1.5 of the 6 million Syrian refugees, has led many Syrians to try to reach Cyprus, the nearest EU country, by crossing the Mediterranean Sea. In response, Cyprus has suspended the processing of applications since April.
In reaction to the Human Rights Watch report, the Cyprus Ministry of Migration and International Protection issued a statement in which it denied having carried out so-called pushbacks such as sending Syrian asylum seekers back to Lebanon.
The government added that Cyprus is a “small frontline country” that “has received massive flows of migrants in recent years”.
In May the European Commission approved €1 billion in financial aid for Lebanon, aimed at border management and support for refugees.
Human Rights Watch criticises the EU executive for offering financial support without adequate means to verify compliance with fundamental rights, but the European Commission guarantees that it “monitors” these agreements and that it requires partners “to respect the principle of non-refoulment”.
Letter from eight countries to review Syria policy
The activists’ appeal at a press conference on Thursday comes on the eve of a Working Group meeting at the European Council on a letter sent by eight member states, including Cyprus, calling for the bloc to re-evaluate its policies towards Syria by resuming dialogue with the Syrian regime.
“Our goal is a more active, results-orientated and operational Syria policy (…) This would allow us to increase our political leverage and the effectiveness of our humanitarian assistance,” the foreign ministers of Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, Slovakia and Slovenia wrote and sent to EU diplomacy chief Josep Borrell.
Zahra Albarazi, a lawyer specialising in human rights, recalls that the country is still largely under the control of Bashar Al-Assad, 13 years after the uprising against the regime.
“There shouldn’t be a discussion about the return of Syrians, there should be a discussion about accountability in Syria. If we want Syrians to want to go home, then war criminals should not be in power and completely control the country’s economy,” she said in an interview with Euronews.
A report carried out by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in February stated that Syria does not offer safe conditions for returnees, as “they are subjected to gross human rights violations and abuses”.
The activists and lawyers pointed out that the refugees “are increasingly becoming targets of xenophobia, discrimination and violent aggression, as the political discourse shifts towards dialogue with Assad”.
“The resumption of dialogue with the Syrian regime should not be framed as a diplomatic move to resolve a protracted conflict because it rehabilitates a regime responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity under the guise of pragmatism,” said Sawsan Abou Zainedine at the press conference.
ADVERTISEMENTThe activist warned that this could jeopardise the United Nations’ efforts, through Security Council Resolution 2254, to achieve lasting peace and respect for human rights.
