Report on the Misuse of Consular Services by the Syrian Regime’s Embassy in Germany

On 13 August, the Syrian National Coalition Representative to Germany, Dr Bassam Abdullah, delivered a report (above) to the German Foreign Ministry, on the misuse of consular services by the Assad regime’s embassy in Germany.

The report, the second produced by the Syrian Coalition’s office in Germany, follows intensive round of interviews with over 500 Syrians who had used the services of the regime’s embassy in Berlin.  The report uncovers a continuous misuse of consular powers by the regime through: 

1. Refusal to issue new or renewal of passports for many applicants;
2. Refusal to issue birth certificates to new-born babies originating from opposition-held areas;
3. Continuous bureaucratic delays and excessive fees charged to Syrians applicants; and, 
4. The consulate in Berlin assisting the regime’s systematic policy to ethnically cleanse parts of Damascus.