Tue 29 October 2024:
Hundreds of Syrians in the Netherlands have protested outside The Hague against the Dutch government’s plan to potentially declare parts of Syria under Bashar Al-Assad’s regime as “safe”.
Under a deal agreed by the Dutch government’s coalition parties last week, Amsterdam is set to abolish permanent residency status for new refugees and make compulsory the reassessment of temporary permits every three years.
Due to the fact that almost half of the refugees coming to the Netherlands on a yearly basis are reportedly Syrians, a key component of that new deal would apparently be that the country’s “policy regarding Syria will be tightened considerably”, Dutch Prime Minister, Dick Schoof, stated in a press conference after a cabinet meeting last week.
“That means that people from safe areas will no longer be eligible for asylum and will return there if possible,” he said. Schoof clarified, however, that “if the official advice doesn’t justify declaring an area safe, we will not declare it safe on political grounds.”
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Following the decision, hundreds of Syrian refugees and residents gathered at The Hague to protest against it over the weekend, demanding that no part of Syria should be ruled as safe while President Bashar Al-Assad and his regime remain in power.
According to the Dutch news outlet, AD, a spokesman for the protest stated that “Our position is clear”, reiterating that “Syria is not a safe country to return refugees to. There is no case whatsoever for doing so at present. That applies to the whole country.”
A primary fear expressed by refugees and organisations in regard to deporting or returning Syrians to their home country is that they would be subjected to immediate danger upon arrival. That is particularly at the hands of the Assad regime authorities, which have proven to be infamous in recent years for arresting, detaining, torturing and sometimes killing returnees.
One protestor, named Mahmoud Al Naser, was quoted by the outlet, NOS, as saying that the “threat for Syrian people is the regime, not just the active war”, stressing that “if I go back to Syria, I’ll be thrown in prison or killed.”
Another protestor, Hassan Alsalka, was quoted by the outlet, NRC, as stating that “Assad is a criminal. His regime wants to kill my father and has already killed my uncle. They were at a demonstration and the regime had a photo of them.” He added that “My uncle was arrested while walking down the street and has never been seen since.”
-MEMO
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