QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The Syrian security forces have subjected Syrians who returned home after seeking refuge abroad to detention, disappearance and torture, including sexual violence, said Amnesty International on Tuesday.
In a new report, named “You’re going to your death”, the organization documented a catalogue of horrific violations committed by Syrian intelligence officers against 66 returnees, including 13 children.
Among these violations, the Amnesty International documented five death cases in custody, while the fate of 17 forcibly disappeared people remains unknown.
“Military hostilities may have subsided, but the Syrian government’s propensity for egregious human rights violations has not.” said Marie Forestier, Researcher on Refugee and Migrants Rights at Amnesty International.
“The torture, enforced disappearances, and arbitrary or unlawful detention which forced many Syrians to seek asylum abroad are as rife as ever in Syria today. What’s more, the very fact of having fled Syria is enough to put returnees at risk of being targeted by authorities,” she added.
The organization urged the European governments to grant refugee status to people from Syria, and immediately halt any practice directly or indirectly forcing them to return to Syria.
“The governments of Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan must protect Syrian refugees from deportation or any other forcible return, in line with their international obligations.”
Amnesty International’s report documents serious human rights violations committed by the Syrian government against refugees who returned to Syria, based on interviews with 41 Syrians, including returnees and their relatives and friends, as well as lawyers, humanitarian workers and Syria experts.
There are about 6,6 million Syrian refugees worldwide, of whom 5,6 million hosted in countries neighboring Syria, where Turkey hosts 4 million, Lebanon one million and Jordan 600,000, in addition to 6,7 million Syrian IDPs, according to UNHCR.