Syria: Treatment by the government of Syrian citizens who have made refugee claims abroad
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 27 November 2002 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | SYR39996.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Syria: Treatment by the government of Syrian citizens who have made refugee claims abroad, 27 November 2002, SYR39996.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3f7d4e21e.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Research for this Response did not include treatment of returning Syrians who belong or have belonged to specific political and/or armed groups, such as SYR31471.E of 17 March 1999.
In 1999 the United States Department of State reported the following:
The authorities may prosecute any person found attempting to emigrate or travel abroad without official permission, or suspected of having visited Israel. On the other hand, there is no evidence that the Government persecuted upon their return to Syria those who applied for, but were denied, asylum abroad (Country Reports 1998 1999, Sec. 2.d).
However, in 2002 the same source repeated the first part of the above-cited statement, without including the second sentence provided earlier:
The authorities may prosecute any person found attempting to emigrate or to travel abroad illegally, or who has been deported from another country, or who is suspected of having visited Israel (Country Reports 2001 2002, Sec. 2.d)
Recent independent reports from within Syria on the possible treatment of persons returning after claiming refugee status abroad could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. On the difficulty of obtaining information from within Syria, the United States Committee for Refugees (USCR) wrote in 2001:
Conditions for refugees in Syria remain obscure for several reasons: the lack of free speech, the absence of independent human rights monitoring organizations, a government-controlled press, and the intimidating presence of all-powerful state security forces and an omnipresent intelligence network.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2001. 2002. "Syria." United States Department of State. Washington, DC. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1998. 1999. "Syria." United States Department of State. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office.
United States Committee for Refugees (USCR), Washington, DC. 2001. "Country Report: Syria 2001." Additional Sources Consulted
Amnesty International Annual Report. 1995-2002.
Embassy of Syria, Ottawa.
Human Rights Watch World Report. 1995-2002.
IRB Databases.
Travel Information Manual. 1998-2002.
Internet sites and search engines, including:
Amnesty International.
Government of Syria.
Human Rights Watch.
Immigration and Nationality Directorate Country Assessments, United Kingdom.
International Organization for Migration.
REFWORLD.
United States Government (including Immigration and Naturalization Service and Department of State).
United States Committee for Refugees (USCR).
World News Connection (WNC).