Author: Refik Hodzic
Affiliation: Filmmaker and Transitional Justice expert from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Organization/Publisher: Al Jazeera
Date/Place: August 24, 2020/Doha, Qatar
Type of Literature: Article
Word Count: 1500
Link: https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/syrians-forced-return-unsafe-syria-200824104115435.html
Keywords: Syrian Refugees, COVID-19, Turkey
Brief:
The author talks about the tragic situation Syrian refugees are experiencing in the asylum areas inside Syria and the neighboring countries, with many countries seeking to cut funds allocated for humanitarian aid due to the economic difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The author also explains that Syrian refugees do not feel safe or stable in the countries of asylum, especially with the measures taken by Lebanon and Turkey that would make their lives more difficult. As for the option to return refugees to Syria, the author says that 73% of the refugees are willing to return to Syria if conditions were adequate (80% if security improved), according to a survey by the Syrian Association for Citizens’ Dignity (SACD). However, most of them were not aware of the contents of a “reconciliation agreement” document that the Syrian regime requires the returnees to sign and submit to a Syrian Embassy in the host nation, which document treats refugees as “Syrians who left the country illegally” and that signing it is an admission of wrongdoing. The author concludes that the option to return to Syria, despite a lot of talk in the West about the approaching end of the war in Syria, is not possible because the country is not a safe place, and that refugees and displaced Syrians will not return to it voluntarily.
By: Taqwa Abu Kmeil, CIGA Research Assistant
