Syrian refugee goes on hunger strike to protest deportation from Jordan

Atia Mohamad Abu Salem, a 24-year-old Syrian refugee and university student, began a hunger strike on Tuesday to protest his impending deportation from Jordan back to Syria after he was arrested on 9 April while on his way to film a pro-Palestine protest.

Jordanian authorities arrested Abu Salem and a Jordanian friend on 9 April and have held him in detention ever since, issuing him a deportation order without charging him with a crime.

Abu Salem is a registered refugee with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and has lived half his life in Jordan.

Human rights activists have called on the Jordanian government to halt the deportation order, warning that Abu Salem would likely be in danger from the Syrian regime due to his family's opposition activities.

“We are facing a real threat to his safety and we call on all concerned parties to retract the deportation decision and to intervene him to his family and his mother, who is suffering from cancer,” Ahmad Sawai, Abu Salem’s lawyer, said.

“Unfortunately, the [deportation] order was issued without any explanation or amendment. Atieh did not appear in front of any judicial body,” Sawai told The New Arab.

He explained that though he submitted an urgent appeal, Jordan’s administrative court refused the motion. There is a final motion to appeal pending, but Atieh could be deported before courts rule on his case.

Syrian refugees who return to Syria regularly face arbitrary arrest, torture and even death at the hands of Syrian security forces. Abu Salem's family, which is known for their opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, face an additional risk of persecution in Syria.

The family fled to Jordan in 2013 after Syrian regime forces killed Abu Salem's father.

Forced return of refugees to Syria, where they face credible dangers, breaches Jordan's international obligations and would constitute refoulment – illegal under international law.

"Jordan's rush to unlawfully deport a Syrian media student for simply seeking to document a peaceful pro-Palestine protest is incredibly alarming and tramples upon the right to free expression and the principle of nonrefoulment," Adam Coogle, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said.

Abu Salem's arrest comes as the Jordanian government has carried out a crackdown against pro-Palestine protesters, activists and journalists, arresting hundreds since 7 October. Thousands of Jordanians have been protesting in front of the Israeli embassy in Amman since the end of March.

Authorities have arrested six journalists, including Hiba Abu Taha, who was arrested on Sunday in connection with an article she wrote about Jordan's alleged role in exporting goods to Israel.

Another Syrian refugee, Wael al-Ashi, was arrested in Jordan and faces deportation after Jordanian authorities arrested him and his roommates for alleged participation in pro-Palestine protests.

Both Human Rights and Amnesty International have called on the Jordanian government to halt its harassment and arrest of peaceful protesters.