The coordinator of the Office of Refugee Affairs in the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC), Salim Idris, has commended the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for his recent stance against the forced deportation of Syrian refugees and his objection to calls for their return to their war-torn homes.
Idris highlighted that the countries from refugees have fled continue to face significant security challenges, with rampant chaos, absence of law, and control by security services and militias. Under such conditions, forcibly repatriating refugees would only expose them to grave danger he added.
Idris further emphasized that Syrian refugees who have managed to reach European countries, often through treacherous journeys on foot or risky sea voyages, did not embark on these arduous journeys for leisure or recreational purposes. Rather, they fled out of the fear of inevitable death or the horrifying prospect of their children becoming victims of the brutal war waged by the Assad regime against the Syrian people.
These statements by Idris were made in response to recent remarks by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, who stressed the gravity of the human rights situation in Syria. In a press conference held in Vienna, Austria on Monday, Türk emphasized that, given the dire circumstances, forcibly deporting refugees to Syria is not a viable option.
(Source: SOC’s Media Department)
