An initiative opposing the deportation of Syrian refugees living in Denmark presented the 50 thousand signatures it collected to the country’s parliament (Folleting). The petition said:
“We want Folleting to change the law that currently allows the Danish authorities to send refugees back to Syria.”
The Copenhagen administration has kept the files of Syrians in the Syrian capital under the control of Bashar al-Assad’s regime since the summer of 2020 and decided to re-examine the files under the justification that: “The current situation in Damascus no longer justifies the residence permit or the extension of the residence permit”. This petition, supported by the majority of the Danish political class, brought controversy in the country.
In a report released in September, Amnesty International condemned the Assad regime’s violations of security forces against dozens of Syrian refugees forced to return to their countries. Denmark legally grants temporary residence permits without a time limit in the event of a “particularly serious situation in the country of origin characterized by arbitrary violence and attacks against civilians”.
Announcing its goal of ‘zero refugees’, the Social Democratic government of Denmark announced that it could cancel the regulation when this crisis situation in Syria was over. According to figures released by the Immigration Office in May, these documents were withdrawn from at least 250 people who were initially only granted temporary leave. According to the national statistical institute, the Scandinavian kingdom of 5.8 million people is home to about 35 thousand 500 Syrians, more than half of whom arrived in 2015. In addition to stripping Syrians of their residence permits, the Danish government pays around €20 thousand per person to those who return voluntarily.
“Denmark is the only country to start a systematic cancellation of residence permit.”
Sweden and the United Kingdom also concluded that general conditions in Damascus had improved. However, the non-governmental organization Danish Refugee Council said that Denmark is the only country that has started to systematically revoke the residence permits of Syrian refugees on these grounds.
The Council of Europe and the European Parliament have issued statements stating that there are no conditions for the safe and voluntary return of Syrian refugees. Similarly, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has urged states not to forcibly return Syrian citizens to any part of the country, even to government-controlled areas such as the capital.
EURONEWS
