'Fearful of returning to what I fled from': Syrian refugees in Europe face rising threats of deportation

Recent years have seen a significant rise in deportation decisions against Syrian refugees across several European states, especially in Germany and Denmark, as well as the UK and Sweden.

This controversial development has prompted widespread debate regarding how committed these states are to the principles of human rights and the international laws which prohibit the return of refugees to countries where their lives could be endangered.

Germany stood out in Europe for its relatively open asylum policies – having received hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees since 2015. However, in recent times, there have been rising demands within the country for the deportation of refugees deemed not to merit international protection, or those who have committed crimes.

While the German government hasn't enacted a blanket decision to forcibly deport Syrian refugees, and so far has examined cases on an individual basis, domestic political pressure is being applied by some conservative parties calling for stricter asylum policies, and for some areas of Syria to be reclassified as "safe".

'I can't tell them everything will be OK'

Suad al-Burhan, 31, is a Syrian refugee in Germany and a mother of three. She expresses deep anxiety at the possibility her residency rights could be withdrawn, despite having learned German and having found work in a local company.

"If I was deported, I don't know what I could do, I left Syria because of the war and the devastation, and now I am fearful of having to return to the same situation I fled from," she says.

She adds: "What hurts me most, as a mother, is seeing my children scared and distracted, and I can't tell them everything will be okay because I don't know what will happen to us."

2021: Denmark deems Damascus 'safe'

The first European state to adopt a deportation policy against Syrian refugees was Denmark, after it decided certain regions in Syria were safe for returns — specifically the capital city Damascus, which it re-classified as "safe" in 2021.

Having enacted this policy change, the Danish government carried out a review of residency permits granted to Syrian refugees, and many were revoked.

Asma Natour is a 38-year-old Syrian refugee from Damascus who has lived in Denmark for five years. She was informed her residency could be revoked after the government reviewed the status of refugees from Damascus and the surrounding area. She says the government's decision to strip some Syrian refugees of their residency rights has hugely impacted her family's life.

Asma is scared for her children and their futures, which are now full of unknowns — especially her eldest daughter, who is enrolled in school in Denmark, while the threat they may be deported back to Syria looms on the horizon.

Asma, who runs a successful store selling Arabic products, said the deportation policies some states are adopting have left people scared and anxious.

Destabilising lives

Majed Alwan is a 19-year-old Syrian refugee living in Denmark with his family. He is frustrated by the Danish government's policies, as he had plans to continue his education and settle long-term in Denmark, integrating into society, but now his residency status is under review.

This has completely destabilised his life and that of his family, he says, adding that he feels helpless about the future, as he doesn't know if he will be allowed to stay or forced back to Syria.

He had hoped to enrol in a professional cookery school in Denmark, but now, due to the threat facing his family, he's thinking about leaving the country in search of a more secure situation elsewhere in Europe.

"I can't plan anything — all my plans have come to a sudden halt because of this situation," he tells The New Arab. 

Regarding European policies encouraging the deportation of Syrian refugees, lawyer and activist Firas Hani Abidin said rumours that Syrian refugees could be forcibly deported to Syria as a general policy were "baseless."

"The UNHCR cannot violate international laws on this issue, whether laws linked to human rights or those linked to refugees because all UNHCR decisions are linked to the law of non-refoulement," Firas said. 

The law of non-refoulement is a core principle of the 1951 Geneva Convention and is contained in Article 33, which states that it is not permissible to return any refugee to a country where their lives could be endangered.

Firas explained that laws tightening restrictions around immigration could be issued, but generalised forcible deportations were not possible.

He also pointed out that, according to most European countries, Syria is still classified as unsafe, because every day there are arrests and killings inside Syrian prisons, which shows that the Assad regime's killing machine continues – and Europe is well aware of this.

"Therefore, no country can return any Syrian refugee unless the conflict is resolved and a political solution enacted," the lawyer added. 

Yousef Kardoush, a consultant for state development projects, believes Western states are basing their decisions to return refugees on various factors.

These include the "surplus of refugees arriving from different countries, most importantly, Ukraine, Palestine, Syria and Sudan."

Yousef says right-wing parties across Europe are increasingly pressuring governments to limit immigration, including by rejecting refugees. At the same time, reports are coming from Syria about relative stability in various parts of the country, which could accommodate returns.

'The Syrian regime's crimes must not be forgotten'

However, Yousef believes these assessments of the situation in Syria are incorrect, and that Western governments cannot ignore Assad's crimes. Furthermore, he highlights the deteriorating economic conditions in northern Syria, the high unemployment rates, and that more than a million and a half people are still living in impoverished displacement camps.

Without a political solution, it will be impossible to achieve any stability or peace, and consequently, there can be no safe return of refugees, he says and suggests that Syrian refugees organise themselves in Western countries to oppose these decisions and approach the European Commission to build the push for fair political solutions.

Syrian political analyst Abdul Halim Suleiman believes that the discussions taking place domestically in Europe have not led to clear-cut decisions, and are often a reaction to security incidents posed to these countries by extremists.

"When extremist attacks have occurred, perpetrators have faced severe penalties, sometimes including deportation, by the law," he says.

However, he doesn't think these countries will tear up their longstanding concepts around protecting human rights, including those of refugees.

Following Turkey and Lebanon's deportation of thousands of Syrians, Abdul highlights the dangers facing these refugees who are being forcibly deported. He explains that many have been detained by the regime's security services and faced blackmail and torture.

"The Syrian regime has not given any binding guarantees regarding the treatment of returnees," Abdul also pointed out.

He highlights that it is well known that opposition-held areas in the northwest are enduring repeated attacks by regime forces, while the northeast is under attack by Turkish forces, leading to a deteriorating economic and security situation.

"We must not deceive ourselves regarding the current state of the country," Abdul continues. "A political solution has long been absent and there are no solutions to any of the pending Syrian issues — and there are many of them. Therefore, any talk about returning refugees in such circumstances is coercive and will throw them back into the burning embers of the fires they fled from years ago."

Hadia Al Mansour is a freelance journalist from Syria who has written for Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Monitor, SyriaUntold, and Rising for Freedom Magazine

Article translated from Arabic by Rose Chacko