ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A human rights watchdog on Tuesday said no part of Syria is safe for refugees to return to, after documenting disappearances and violence committed against returnees by regime security forces. Several countries have recently considered deporting Syrian refugees. Scores of human rights violations, including sexual abuse, torture and enforced disappearances were committed by Syrian forces against 66 returnees, including 13 children, Amnesty International reported. Five people also died in detention after returning to Syria and the fate of 17 others remains unknown, Amnesty added. “Authorities have targeted returnees to Syria, accusing those who fled the country of treason or supporting ‘terrorism,’” Amnesty said, which documented 24 cases where men, women and children were targeted as a “direct result of these perceptions.” Returnees were also targeted for coming from parts of Syria that were under opposition control. Millions of Syrians have fled their houses since the civil war began in 2011, seeking refugee across borders. There are over six million Syrian refugees worldwide, the vast majority are hosted in countries near Syria, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). After a decade of conflict in Syria, countries including Denmark, Sweden, and Turkey are pressuring refugees to go home. “Any government claiming Syria is now safe is willfully ignoring the horrific reality on the ground, leaving refugees once again fearing for their lives,” said Amnesty researcher Marie Forestier. She urged European nations to grant refugee status to Syria and neighbouring countries to protect Syrians sheltering within their borders. There are an estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon, 1.3 million in Jordan, and some 3.5 million in Turkey. In June, the European Commission said it is planning to dedicate over €5 billion to Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan to provide socio-economic support for Syrian refugees they host. In 2016, Turkey and EU made a deal where Ankara agreed to shut its borders to refugees trying to reach Europe in exchange for funds.
