UK tells Syrian asylum seeker he can return home

QAMISHILI, Syria (North Pres) – In a rare case of its kind, the UK Home Office has asked a Syrian asylum seeker to go back to Syria as it is “safe” now to do so, the Guardian said.

The 25-year-old man, whose identity withheld for his safety, sought refuge in the UK in May 2020. The refugee said he escaped from Syria in 2017 and he was looking for somewhere safe to live. 

The man fled forcible conscription into Syrian government army in 2017 in order not to be forced to kill other Syrians. He said that if he is forced back to Syria, he will be targeted as a draft evader, arrested, detained and killed, according to the Guardian. 

But, the Home Office sent a refusal letter to the man in December, which the Guardian saw. The letter said: “I am not satisfied to a reasonable degree of likelihood that you have a well-founded fear of persecution.”

“It is not accepted that you will face a risk of persecution or real risk of serious harm on return to the Syrian Arab Republic due to your imputed political opinion as a draft evader,” the letter read.

The Home Office (HO), is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for immigration, security, and law and order. 

However, Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, is urged to overturn the decision by the charity Refugee Action. “This decision by the Home Office pulls up the drawbridge to those fleeing war and persecution,” the Refugee Action said.