Ahmad Baccora, Coordinator of the Refugees and Displaced Persons Working Group in the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC), expressed deep astonishment at recent statements by Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, during the 75th Executive Committee session. Baccora questioned Grandi’s alleged confidence in the Assad regime’s ability to guarantee the “safety” of returnees. He stressed that this trust contradicts documented realities on the ground, where the regime’s security apparatus continues to commit severe violations against returnees, citing reports of dozens of arbitrary arrests of Syrians returning from Lebanon in recent weeks.
Baccora emphasized that the High Commissioner Grandi must uphold his mandate to protect refugee rights and ensure their safety. He underscored that any refugee return must adhere to strict international standards to guarantee that returnees are not exposed to harm. Facilitating returns without genuine safeguards or misrepresenting Syria’s security conditions could subject the High Commissioner to legal accountability, as it would violate refugee rights and place their lives at serious risk.
Baccora commented on a recent statement from the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/57/L.11) on the state of human rights in Syria, which presents a reality starkly different from the assurances given by Grandi. The statement highlighted the Assad regime’s ongoing violations of international law and international humanitarian law, including attacks on civilians, arbitrary detentions, and enforced disappearances—practices that also target Syrians returning from abroad. Baccora also cited a report from the Syrian Organization for Human Rights, which documented these violations, reaffirming that Syria remains unsafe for refugee returns.
He questioned how a regime responsible for displacing millions and committing widespread repression and violations against Syrians could now claim to guarantee the safety of returnees. Baccora asserted that the regime lacks the will or intent to protect returning Syrians and that its promises are nothing more than propaganda devoid of credibility and far from reality.
Baccora called on Grandi to issue an official statement clarifying the basis for his alleged trust in the Assad regime. He urged the UNHCR and the international community to adhere to Security Council Resolutions 2254 (2015) and 2118 (2013), which outline a comprehensive political solution as the framework to ensure the safe and dignified return of Syrians.
He warned that the trust shown by the UNHCR in the Assad regime is an irresponsible step, reflecting unacceptable complacency toward a regime with a long history of crimes and ongoing violations. Baccora called on the international community and UNHCR to uphold their legal and moral obligations to ensure the safety of refugees and protect them from harm, without attempts to whitewash the regime’s image or enable it to continue its abuses under the guise of humanitarian cooperation.
(Source: SOC’s Media Department)
