Secretary-General of the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC), Haytham Rahmeh, warned of the undeclared UN efforts to deport Syrian refugees to Syria. He called for commitment to international agreements that prevent the forced return of refugees, especially since Syria is still not safe for the refugee’s return in view of the Assad regime’s survival in power.
Rahmeh pointed out that the reasons for leaving Syria are still there, namely the Assad regime’s survival in power. He stressed that Assad had forced nearly 13 million Syrians from their homes through its repressive policy that is based on killing, arresting and forcibly disappearing all its opponents.
He also said that the Assad regime has not respected any UN resolution, and that it cannot be trusted for any project related to the Syrian people after it became a mere puppet in the hands of Russia.
Rahmeh warned that the massacres of the Assad regime against the Syrian people are still being repeated against the Syrian people, because this regime lives off terrorism and repression. He stressed that any attempt to return the regime to the international community is tantamount to condoning its brutal crimes.
Rahmeh praised the efforts of international and local human rights organizations that warn the United Nations and the High Commissioner for Refugees against getting involved with the Assad regime in any agreement to deport refugees because it poses a threat to the lives of returnees, and because conditions for the safe return are not yet there.
He indicated that the Syrian IDP and refugees are still waiting for conditions to be created for their return to their cities and towns, namely by achieving a political transition in accordance with Security Council Resolution 2254 and holding the Assad regime and its allies accountable for their crimes and violations against the Syrian people.
(Source: SOC’s media department)
