{"id":102012,"date":"2023-08-01T19:38:22","date_gmt":"2023-08-01T19:38:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/?p=102012"},"modified":"2023-08-01T19:38:24","modified_gmt":"2023-08-01T19:38:24","slug":"syrian-refugees-in-baghdad-face-risk-of-forced-deportation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/102012\/","title":{"rendered":"Syrian refugees in Baghdad face risk of forced deportation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ERBIL, KRI, Iraq (North Press) \u2013 <\/strong>Iraqi authorities have detained dozens of Syrian refugees in Baghdad for about a month and intend to deport them to Damascus although those refugees have official residency permits issued by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and documents by the UNHCR in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many humanitarian organizations demand Iraqi officials to not deport the refugees and to relocate them from Baghdad to Erbil for their safety in light of the unstable security situation in Syria. The United Nations consistently reaffirms its refusal to deport Syrians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rashid Ali Jan, director of the Erbil-based Jani Roj Charity Organization said that some families of Syrians who are detained in Baghdad have been in contact with him for assistance in reuniting with their relatives in Erbil. “Most of those families are Kurds from Rojava (North and East Syria)”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He told North Press that the number of the refugees the Iraqi authorities intend to deport them is 71, including 22 from one family. They are detained in Baghdad. They are from Kobani and Manbij regions in northern Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We have been in contact with the United Nations Bureau and some governmental authorities to prevent their deportation,” Ali Jan said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few days ago, the Iraqi authorities deported 15 Syrian refugees through Baghdad International Airport, including two women who were deported without their husbands, according to Ali Jan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baghdad claims that the residency permits and documents issued by the KRG for the refugees are “illegitimate”, and they should obtain residency permits issued by Baghdad instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the beginning of the Syrian war in 2011, several Syrian families sought a refuge in the KRG. However, due to the deteriorating economic situation, some of them started moving to Baghdad through illegal ways because entering Baghdad requires obtaining an annual residency permit issued by the federal government, which costs between 1,200 and 1700 USD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ali Jan mentioned that the detained Syrians went to Baghdad in search for better job opportunities. Some of them went to Baghdad for surgical operations and settled in it, and others obtained official residency permits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

International laws and conventions prohibit the deportation of refugees, especially the refugees who are from countries experiencing war. However, Iraq, Lebanon, and Turkey deport Syrians although the UN states that the conditions for return to Syria are “not suitable” and expresses concerns about the fate of the returnees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The official appealed to human rights organizations, the UN, the Iraqi Government, and the KRG to intervene in releasing the Syrian refugees and bringing them back with their families to the KRI, as they have residency permits, “so they can live in peace.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Agid Meshmesh<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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