“SNHR”: Syria remains unsafe for the return of refugees

The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) emphasized that Syria is still unsafe environment for the return of refugees fleeing from Lebanon due to security conditions.

SNHR issued a report, October 29, entitled “A Dreadful Homecoming: Widespread Human Rights Violations Against Syrian Refugees Returning from Lebanon”, pointing out to Assad regime’s repressive actions against them including arrest, torture, and enforced disappearance.

The report pointed out that Assad regime arrested 26 people coming from Lebanon, including a woman, and one of them died under torture.

The refugees in Lebanon face dire humanitarian conditions, prompting them to return to Syria despite the risks, instability, and the absence of security guarantees upon their return.

SNHR documented the detention of 208 enforced returnees by Assad regime forces since the beginning of 2024, including two children and sex women, and sex detainees died due to torture in detention centers.

Director of the Syrian Network for Human Rights, Fadel Abdul Ghani, said: “In the absence of any measures to guarantee the protection of returnees’ rights, Syrian refugees face security and legal challenges that require the establishment of real and effective mechanisms to ensure the protection of their rights and prevent the continuation of violations.”

The report explained some of the measures adopted by other parties to allow the return of refugees to their areas, including controlling the opening and closing crossings, and demanding the presence of a sponsor, in addition to the difficult humanitarian conditions.

The report concluded that the Assad regime continues to practice arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, and torture, which represents a flagrant violation of Syria’s obligations under international human rights laws, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The report called on the UN Security Council and the United Nations to place the issue of Syrian refugees and displaced people among the urgent international priorities, calling on donor countries to fulfill their financial obligations towards the countries hosting Syrian refugees.