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  • February 18, 2025
Bashar al-Assad deposed, European countries suspend Syrian asylum decisions

Bashar al-Assad deposed, European countries suspend Syrian asylum decisions

TEMPO.CO, JakartaGermanyFrance, Austria and several Scandinavian countries in Europe declared on Monday, December 9, 2024, that they would consider all pending asylum applications from Syriansa day after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad.

As reported by Al Arabiya, While Berlin and other governments said they were closely monitoring rapid developments in the war-torn country, Vienna indicated it would soon deport refugees back to Syria.

Far-right politicians in other countries also made similar demands, including in Germany.

Alice Weidel of the anti-immigration group Alternative for Germany responded to Sunday’s massive demonstrations by Syrian citizens celebrating the fall of Assad.

“Everyone in Germany who celebrates ‘free Syria’ apparently no longer has any reason to flee,” she wrote on X. “They must return to Syria immediately.”

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said many Syrian refugees “now finally have the hope of returning to their Syrian homeland,” but warned that “the situation in Syria is currently very unclear.”

The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees had imposed a freeze on decisions on ongoing asylum procedures “until the situation is clearer.”

She added that “concrete possibilities for return cannot yet be predicted and it would be unprofessional to speculate in such an unstable situation.”

Rights group Amnesty International has rejected the freeze on asylum decisions, insisting that currently “the human rights situation in the country is completely unclear.”

The French Ministry of the Interior has announced that it will also postpone asylum applications from Syrian citizens.

Britain has temporarily halted decisions on Syrian asylum claims, a government spokesman said, after opposition forces took control of the capital Damascus this weekend.

The British decision came after Germany, Austria and other European countries ordered a halt to Syrian asylum applications after President Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia after 13 years of civil war.

The war has forced millions of Syrians to flee their country.

More than 800,000 people with Syrian citizenship live in Germany, the majority of whom came as refugees following former Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision in 2015 to allow more than a million asylum seekers into Germany.

Syria was the top country of origin for asylum seekers in Germany this year, with 72,420 asylum applications submitted by the end of November, BAMF data shows. About 47,270 asylum applications from Syrians remain undecided.

According to the Refugee Council, more than 20,000 Syrian refugees had been resettled in Britain under the government scheme by the end of February 2021.

‘Repatriation and deportation’

In Austria, where some 100,000 Syrian citizens live, conservative Chancellor Karl Nehammer ordered the Interior Ministry to “suspend all pending Syrian asylum applications and review all asylum applications.”

Denmark, Sweden and Norway also announced on Monday that they were suspending the processing of asylum applications from Syrian refugees.

The leader of the far-right Sweden Democrats, a coalition partner in the government, said residence permits for Syrian refugees now need to be “revised.”

“Destructive Islamic forces are behind the change of power” in Syria, their leader Jimmie Akesson wrote on X.

“I see that groups are happy with this development here in Sweden. You have to see it as a good opportunity to go home.”

In Greece, a government spokesman expressed hope that Assad’s fall would eventually allow the “safe return of Syrian refugees” to their homeland, but without announcing any concrete steps.

UN refugee chief urges patience

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCRFilippo Grandi called for patience as millions of Syrian refugees displaced by the 13-year civil war consider a possible return to the country.

“There is a remarkable opportunity for Syria to move towards peace and for its people to return home,” he said in a statement to journalists on Monday. Reuters.

“But with the situation still uncertain, millions of refugees are carefully assessing how safe it is to do so. Some are eager, while others hesitate.” He called for “patience and vigilance” as refugees weigh their options.

The likelihood of return will likely depend on whether Syria’s new leaders prioritize law and order, he said. “A transition that respects the rights, lives and aspirations of all Syrians – regardless of ethnicity, religion or political beliefs – is crucial for people to feel safe.” UNHCR stood ready to help states organize voluntary returns, Grandi added.

AL ARABIA | REUTERS

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