Syria Situationof returnees
from abroad
Country of Origin
Information Report
June 2021

More information on the EU is available on the Internet (http://europa.eu)
PDF

ISBN 978-92-9465-115-0

doi: 10.2847/980660

BZ-05-21-136-EN-N© European Asylum Support Office, 2021
Cover photo, © Joel Carillet via iStock by Getty Images, 183363131, 5 January 2011, url
Highway sign in Syria directing traffic to Damascus and other cities, including Homs and Qara.
Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. For any use or reproduction of photos orother material that is not under the EASO copyright, permission must be sought directly from the copyrightholders.

Country of origin information report | Syria: Situation of returnees from abroad

Acknowledgements
This report was drafted by the Country of Origin Information (COI) Unit of the Netherlands Ministryof Foreign Affairs.1

The following departments and organisations have reviewed the report together with EASO:
Denmark, Danish Immigration Service (DIS)
Hungary, National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing Documentation Centre

It must be noted that the review carried out by the mentioned departments, experts ororganisations contributes to the overall quality of the report, but does not necessarily imply theirformal endorsement of the final report, which is the full responsibility of EASO.

1 In Dutch known as Afdeling Ambtsberichten (AB).

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Country of origin information report | Syria: Situation of returnees from abroadContents
Acknowledgements................................................................................................................................. 3Contents .................................................................................................................................................. 4
Disclaimer................................................................................................................................................ 5
Glossary and abbreviations ..................................................................................................................... 6
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 7
Methodology ...................................................................................................................................... 7
Quality control .................................................................................................................................... 8
Sources ............................................................................................................................................... 8
Structure of the report ....................................................................................................................... 9
Map ....................................................................................................................................................... 10
1. Overview of the patterns of return................................................................................................... 11
1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 11
1.2 Return from the EU..................................................................................................................... 11
1.3 Return from neighbouring countries .......................................................................................... 12
1.3.1 Introduction......................................................................................................................... 12
1.3.2 Return from Turkey ............................................................................................................. 12
1.3.3 Return from Lebanon .......................................................................................................... 13
1.3.4 Return from Jordan ............................................................................................................. 16
2. Consequences of illegal exit and having applied for asylum abroad ................................................ 18
2.1 Consequences of illegal exit ....................................................................................................... 18
2.2 Consequences of having applied for asylum abroad .................................................................. 18
2.3 Monitoring of the Syrian diaspora by the Syrian authorities ..................................................... 19
3. GoS return policy and practice.......................................................................................................... 20
3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 20
3.2 The procedure itself.................................................................................................................... 21
4. Potential obstacles to return ............................................................................................................ 24
4.1 Access limitations to areas of return .......................................................................................... 24
4.2 Civil documentation and nationality .......................................................................................... 25
4.3 Housing, land and property rights .............................................................................................. 25
5. Treatment upon return ..................................................................................................................... 27
Annex I: Bibliography ............................................................................................................................ 30
Annex II: Terms of Reference ................................................................................................................ 364

Country of origin information report | Syria: Situation of returnees from abroad

Disclaimer
This report was written according to the EASO COI Report Methodology.2 The report is based on
carefully selected sources of information. All sources used are referenced.
The information contained in this report has been researched, evaluated and analysed with utmost
care. However, this document does not claim to be exhaustive. If a particular event, person ororganisation is not mentioned in the report, this does not mean that the event has not taken placeor that the person or organisation does not exist.
Furthermore, this report is not conclusive as to the determination or merit of any particularapplication for international protection. Terminology used should not be regarded as indicative of aparticular legal position.
‘Refugee’, ‘risk’ and similar terminology are used as generic terminology and not in the legal sense as
applied in the EU Asylum Acquis, the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocol relating to the
Status of Refugees.
Neither EASO nor any person acting on its behalf may be held responsible for the use which may bemade of the information contained in this report.
The drafting of this report was finalised on 12 May 2021. Any event taking place after this date is notincluded in this report. More information on the reference period for this report can be found in themethodology section of the Introduction.

2 EASO, Country of Origin Information (COI) Report Methodology, June 2019, url

5Country of origin information report | Syria: Situation of returnees from abroad

Glossary and abbreviations
DIS

Danish Immigration Service

EIP

European Institute of Peace

GBP

Great Britain Pound

GoS

Government of Syria

GSO

General Security Office

HLP

Housing, land and property

HTS

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (‘Organisation for the Liberation of theLevant’)

ICC

International Criminal Court

ICG

International Crisis Group

IDP

Internally displaced person

INGO

International non-governmental organisation

LBP

Lebanese PoundLP

Laissez-passer

Muwafaka amniya

Security clearance

NRC

Norwegian Refugee Council

RPW

Refugee Protection Watch

SJAC

Syria Justice and Accountability Centre

SYP

Syrian Pound

Taswiyat Wada’

Status settlement

TDA

The Day After

TIMEP

Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy

UNHCR

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Waraket Mourajaa

Written instruction to visit a particular security branch

Wasta‘Getting things done’ or ‘finding things out’ through an
informal network of personal connections

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Country of origin information report | Syria: Situation of returnees from abroad

Introduction
Since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, over 6.6 million people have fled the country ofwhom 5.6 million found refuge in countries near Syria. In addition, 6.7 million people are internallydisplaced inside Syria.3 In early April 2021, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees(UNHCR) put the number of refugees from Syria at approximately 3.6 million in Turkey, 855 000 in
Lebanon and 665 000 in Jordan.4
According to another estimate, of the millions who fled Syria since the start of the conflict a decadeago, 1.4 million people from Syria received international protection in the EU.5 During the report’sreference period, refugees from Syria continued to arrive in the EU. According to Eurostat6, nearly
69 000 people from Syria applied for asylum in the EU in 2020. The aforementioned number pertains
to asylum applications for the first time. Germany was by far the most popular EU Member State
among refugees from Syria, receiving almost 41 000 asylum applications.7
The purpose of this report is to provide relevant information regarding the situation of returnees
hailing from Syria within the framework of international protection status determination, including
refugee status and subsidiary protection, and in particular for use in updating EASO’s country
guidance development on Syria. The report is primarily focused on the return of Syrians from Europe
and Syria’s neighbouring countries (Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan) to government-held Syria.

Methodology
The report is produced in line with the EASO COI Report Methodology8 and the EASO COI Writing
and Referencing Style Guide.9
The report contains information on the topic of return to Syria, focusing primarily on recent trends,
with updated information on 2020 and 2021 where available. The information gathered is a result ofresearch using public, specialised paper-based and electronic sources until 15 April 2021. Some
additional information was added during the finalisation of this report in response to feedback
received during the quality control process, until 12 May 2021.
The terms of reference (ToR) of this report were defined by EASO based on discussions held andinput received from COI experts in the EASO COI specialist network on Syria and from policy experts
in EU+ countries10 within the framework of a Country Guidance development on Syria. This report
was drafted for the purpose of developing analysis of particular profiles with regard to qualification
for refugee status.
The ToR for this report can be found in Annex II of this report.

3 UNHCR, Syria Emergency, updated 15 March 2021, url
4 UNHCR, Syria Regional Refugee Response, Total Persons of Concern by Country of Asylum, last updated on 7 April 2021,

url
5 Euronews, The Briefing, Why Syria’s War Has Always Been Europe’s Problem, 16 March 2021, url
6 Eurostat is the EU’s statistical office. For more information about Eurostat, please visit: url
7 Eurostat, Asylum and first time asylum applicants by citizenship, age and sex – annual aggregated data (rounded), last
updated on 13 April 2021, url
8 EASO, EASO Country of Origin Information (COI) Report Methodology, June 2019, url
9 EASO, Writing and Referencing Guide for EASO Country of Origin Information (COI) Reports, June 2019, url
10 All EU Member States plus Norway and Switzerland.

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Country of origin information report | Syria: Situation of returnees from abroad

Quality control
In line with the EASO COI Report Methodology, a peer review was performed by COI researchers
from the departments listed as reviewers in the Acknowledgements section.

SourcesThis report is based on desk research of public, specialised paper-based and electronic sources. In
addition to the paper-based and electronic sources that were consulted, interviews were conductedwith the following sources:
•
•
•
•

•
•
•
•
•

•
•

•

•

A Legal and Human Rights Adviser at the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC). SJAC
is an NGO seeking to promote justice and accountability in Syria by documenting humanrights violations. For more information about SJAC, please visit: url
A Syria expert at the European Institute of Peace (EIP). The EIP is an independent, non-profit
organisation involved in designing and delivering sustainable peace processes andagreements. For more information about the EIP, please visit: url
A Syrian Migration Expert. The source preferred anonymity for the sake of discretion.
An Advocacy Officer at the Jordanian INGO Forum (JIF). The JIF is an independent network of
59 international non-governmental organisations (INGOs), aiding vulnerable groups living in
Jordan. The JIF is based in Amman, the capital of Jordan. For more information, please visit:url
An anonymous source. The source preferred anonymity for the sake of discretion andorganisational safety.
An international organisation working in Lebanon. The source preferred anonymity for thesake of discretion and organisational safety.
An international humanitarian organisation working in Syria. The source preferredanonymity for the sake of discretion, personal and organisational safety.
Employees of an implementing agency of the Netherlands Ministry of Justice and Security.
These sources preferred anonymity for the sake of discretion.
Hiran Ali, a project manager at Solid Road. Solid Road is a Dutch NGO supporting (former)
asylum seekers and people without residence permits to return voluntarily from theNetherlands to their country of origin. For more information about Solid Road, please visit:urlJusoor for Studies, an independent institution specialised in conducting research on Syrian
political and social affairs in particular and the Middle East region in general. For more
information about Jusoor for Studies, please visit: urlNawar Shaban and Muhsen al Mustafa, a Military Expert and Research Assistant respectively
at Omran Center for Strategic Studies (also known as Omran Dirasat). The Omran Center for
Strategic Studies is a research institute that focuses on Syrian affairs in the political, local
administration and development sectors. For more information about the Omran Center,please visit: url
Suhail Al-Ghazi, a Non-Resident Fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP).
TIMEP is a non-profit organisation centering on bringing localised perspectives in the policy
discourse in order to foster transparent, accountable and just societies in the Middle Eastand North Africa (MENA) region. For more information about TIMEP, please visit: url
Urnammu for Justice and Human Rights, an NGO documenting and addressing human rights
violations in Syria. For more information about Urnammu for Justice and Human Rights,
please visit: url

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Country of origin information report | Syria: Situation of returnees from abroad

Structure of the report
The report is structured in line with the ToR. The first chapter presents an overview of the patternsof return and wherever possible, the numbers of returnees, both from the EU as well as Syria’s
neighbouring countries harbouring the highest Syrian refugee populations, which are Turkey,
Lebanon and Jordan. The second chapter discusses the consequences of having exited Syria illegallyand having applied for asylum abroad. In addition, this chapter looks into the monitoring of the
Syrian diaspora by the Syrian authorities. The third chapter analyses the procedure for Syrian
returnees to obtain a security clearance in order to enter government-held Syria legally and how thisprocedure works in practice. The fourth chapter looks at potential obstacles towards return, divided
into three categories: limited or no access to particular areas of return, a lack of civil documentation,and issues related to housing, land and property (HLP) rights. The fifth and final chapter looks into
the treatment of returnees upon return by the Government of Syria (GoS).

9Country of origin information report | Syria: Situation of returnees from abroad

Map

Map 1: Syrian Arab Republic, © United Nations11

11 Syrian Arab Republic, Map No. 4204 Rev. 3, April 2012, United Nations, url

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Country of origin information report | Syria: Situation of returnees from abroad

1. Overview of the patterns of return
1.1 Introduction
In November 2020, the GoS hosted an international conference in Damascus on the return ofrefugees to Syria. Prior to the controversial two-day event, which was sponsored by Russia, Russia’s
President Vladimir Putin claimed that large parts of Syria were relatively peaceful, urging Syrian
refugees to come back home and rebuild the war-torn country. About twenty countries sent
representatives to attend the conference, including Russia, Iran and China. The EU boycotted theevent, arguing that the situation in Syria was not conducive to a safe, voluntary, dignified andsustainable return of refugees. To make its stance clear, the EU pointed out that the Syrian
authorities continued to violate human rights, including forced conscription, indiscriminate
detention, forced disappearances, torture, physical and sexual violence and discrimination in accessto housing, land and property (HLP). Thus, the EU regarded the conference on return as premature.
UNHCR and the US also boycotted the event.12

1.2 Return from the EU
Eurostat’s database does not provide statistics on how many Syrians and stateless persons from
Syria have returned from the EU to Syria in 2020. The available information about Syrians returningfrom the EU to Syria is scant and remains anecdotal and fragmented in nature. In 2020, for instance,
137 Syrian refugees returned voluntarily from Denmark to Syria, each receiving about GBP 22 00013
from the Danish government. Denmark is home to 35 000 Syrians.14 During the same year, ten Syrian
nationals invoked the assistance of the Repatriation and Departure Service, which is part of theNetherlands Ministry of Justice and Security15, to return voluntarily from the Netherlands to Syria.16
The Netherlands are home to 77 000 Syrians.17 All ten returnees flew to Damascus.18 Eight of themreceived additional support from Solid Road, a Dutch NGO supporting (former) asylum seekers andpeople without residence permits to return voluntarily from the Netherlands to their country oforigin.19 According to Solid Road, these eight returnees had grown disillusioned about finding a placein Dutch society. All of them originated from Damascus and returned to the capital of Syria,
travelling on a Syrian national passport. Five returnees constituted one nuclear family, comprising
two parents and three underage children. When renewing their passports at the Syrian Embassy inBrussels, Belgium, they had to sign a declaration stating that they had left Syria because of the war
situation, not because of the Syrian authorities. As far as is known, the other three returnees did nothave to sign such a statement. Upon arrival at the airport in Syria, the authorities asked thereturnees routine-like questions such as: ‘Where do you come from? Why have you fled? Why haveyou returned?’ As of 12 March 2021, none of the returnees reported any personal problems with the

12 Al Jazeera, Putin Says Syrian Refugees Should Return, Rebuild Country, 9 November 2020, url; AP, EU Snubs Russia-

backed Event on Returning Refugees to Syria, 10 November 2020, url; New York Times (The), Syria Seeks Return of
Refugees, But They Fear Leader’s Wrath, 12 November 2020, url
13 According to CoinMill, an online currency convertor, GBP 22 000 amounted EUR 25 297.25 on 15 April 2021.
14 Guardian (The), Denmark Strips Syrian Refugees of Residency Permits and Says It Is Safe to Go Home, 14 April 2021, url
15 In Dutch known as Dienst Terugkeer & Vertrek (DT&V). For more information about DT&V, please visit: url
16 Employee of an implementing agency of the Netherlands Ministry of Justice and Security, e-mail correspondence, 7 April
2021
17 De Groene Amsterdammer, Als de rollen worden opgeschud, 3 March 2021, url
18 Employee of an implementing agency of the Netherlands Ministry of Justice and Security, e-mail correspondence, 9 April
2021
19 Solid Road’s programme to assist (former) asylum seekers and people without residence permits to return voluntarily totheir country of origin is being sponsored by DT&V. Hiran Ali, Signal interview, 12 March 2021

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Country of origin information report | Syria: Situation of returnees from abroad

Syrian authorities to Solid Road.20 For more information about the treatment of returnees in general,please read Chapter 5: Treatment upon return.
Unlike the returnees mentioned above, most Syrian refugees in the EU do not consider returning to
Syria in the (near) future. The Day After (TDA)21, for example, conducted a survey among 1 600
Syrians residing in Germany, France, the Netherlands and Sweden. 66.1 % of the respondents
indicated that they would not seriously consider returning to live in Syria if conditions become
stable. Those who expressed their unwillingness to return to Syria pointed out various barriers toreturn, including the unavailability of basic services (such as education, health care and social
security) and the current GoS that has remained in power.22 The Netherlands Institute for Social
Research23 conducted a survey among 2 544 Syrians who had been given a residency status based on
asylum or family reunification between 1 January 2014 until 1 July 2016. 99.5 % of the respondents
indicated their intention to continue residing in the Netherlands in the two forthcoming years. Oneof the prime reasons for Syrians to remain in the Netherlands is the country’s security, according to
the findings of the aforementioned survey.24
On 11 March 2021, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the Syrian conflict, concludingthat ‘Syria is not a safe country to return to.’ In addition, the resolution called upon all EU Member
States ‘to refrain from shifting national policies towards depriving certain categories of Syrians of
their protected status and to reverse this trend if they have already applied such policies’.25

1.3 Return from neighbouring countries
1.3.1 Introduction
Like the Syrian refugee population in the EU, most Syrian refugees in the neighbouring countries do
not consider to return to Syria in the near future. Between February and March 2021, UNHCR
conducted a survey among 3 201 Syrian respondents in Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. Ninety percent indicated their intention not to return to Syria within the next twelve months. The three main
reasons for not returning were a lack of livelihood/work opportunities, a lack of safety and security
and a lack of adequate housing and/or concerns over property/housing. Other reasons for not
returning were to avoid the military service and an inadequate provision of basic services.26 In thefollowing sub-paragraphs, the process of return from Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, which are theneighbouring countries harbouring the largest Syrian refugee populations, will be discussed in moredetail.

1.3.2 Return from Turkey
In mid-October 2020, the Turkish Minister of Interior stated that over 414 000 Syrians had returned
voluntarily to Syria. He attributed this development to Turkey’s cross-border military interventions in

20 Hiran Ali, Signal interview, 12 March 2021
21 TDA is an NGO seeking to democratise Syrian society. For more information about TDA, please visit: url
22 TDA, Between Integration and Return, The Reality of New Syrian Refugees in Europe, A Survey of Refugees in Germany,

France, the Netherlands and Sweden, January 2021, url, pp. 57-59
23 Known in Dutch as the Sociaal en Cultureel Planbureau (SCP), the Netherlands Institute for Social Research is an agencyof the Netherlands Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, conducting research into the social aspects of all areas ofgovernment policy. For more information about the SCP, please visit: url
24 SCP, Syrische statushouders op weg in Nederland, De ontwikkeling van hun positie en leefsituatie, June 2020, url, pp.
186-187
25 European Parliament, European Parliament Resolution of 11 March 2021 on the Syrian conflict, 10 Years After theUprising, 2021/2576(RSP), 11 March 2021, url, para 39
26 UNHCR, Sixt Regional Survey on Syrian Refugees’ Perceptions & Intentions on Return to Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon,
Jordan, March 2021, url, pp. 2, 4

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Country of origin information report | Syria: Situation of returnees from abroad

Syria, which had created a so-called ‘safe zone’ controlled by Turkey and its Syrian allies.27 The
Minister did not make clear, however, whether the Syrians who had been ‘resettled’ in this bufferzone alongside the Turkish-Syrian border actually originated from this area. UNHCR recorded 16 805
voluntary returns from Turkey to Syria in 2020 and 5 124 voluntary refugee returns during the first
three months of 2021.28
During the report’s reference period, sources reported that Syrians were forcibly returned by theTurkish authorities to Idlib29, a governorate in north-western Syria which is largely controlled by
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)30, a jihadist organisation.31 The Turkish authorities denied having
deported Syrians to Syria32 and during the report’s reference period, Turkey reaffirmed its
commitment to a safe and voluntary return of Syrians to Syria.33
Studies showed that there is a strong desire among the Syrian refugee population in Turkey toreturn to Syria at some point in the future. In April 2020, TDA published a survey report about
perceptions on return to Syria among Syrian refugees in Turkey. Having conducted a survey among
2 002 Syrian citizens, it turned out that 74 % of the respondents desired to return to Syria in the
future.34 However, the survey also made clear that those who desire to return to Syria would only
like to do so on particular conditions. Of the 74 % who wanted to return to Syria, 71 % stated that
their return must be to the place of origin within Syria (returning to one’s place of origin is notalways possible as will be discussed in Section 4.1: Access limitations to areas of return). About thesame percentage (70 %) indicated that they would return to Syria provided the current GoS has been
overthrown. 60 % would return to Syria provided the war has come to an end.35

1.3.3 Return from Lebanon
The majority of Syrians in Lebanon have not complied with the Lebanese residency requirements.36
During a survey among 579 Syrians in Lebanon, Refugee Protection Watch (RPW)37 found out that58.4 % of the respondents did not enjoy legal residency in Lebanon.38 For Syrians in Lebanon there
are several ways to return to Syria, including self-organised returns and group returns organised by
the General Security Office (GSO)39 of the Lebanese Ministry of Interior.40 The last GSO-organised
group return took place on 13 February 2020.41 Another actor that has been involved in organising

27 AA, Over 414,000 Syrians return home thanks to Turkey, 15 October 2020, url
28 UNHCR, Situation Syria Regional Refugee Response, Voluntary Syrian Refugee Returns, As of 31 March 2021, url

29

AI, Turkey, Halt Illegal Deportation of People to Syria and Ensure Their Safety, 29 May 2020, url; SJAC, Turkey Continues
to Deport Syrians to Idlib, Violating International Law, 8 October 2020, url
30 Hayat Tahrir al-Sham means ‘Organisation for the Liberation of the Levant’.
31 Syria Direct, The Border Crossings of Syria’s Northwest, 21 December 2017, url
32 AA, Turkey Denies Claims of Deporting Syrians Illegally, 26 October 2019, url
33 AA, ‘Safe, Voluntary Return of Syrians a Turkish Priority’, 5 October 2020, url
34 TDA, Syrian Refugees in Turkey, Perceptions on Return to Syria, April 2020, url, pp. 7, 19
35 TDA, Syrian Refugees in Turkey, Perceptions on Return to Syria, April 2020, url, pp. 37, 40
36 International humanitarian organisation working in Syria, Microsoft Teams interview, 18 February 2021
37 RPW is a coalition comprising Basmeh & Zeitooneh, ALEF, PAX, 11.11.11 and Upinion. Basmeh & Zeitooneh and ALEF are
Lebanon-based NGOs, the latter focusing on the promotion of human rights. PAX is a Dutch peace organisation, Upinion isa social enterprise based in the Netherlands and 11.11.11 is a Belgium-based NGO. See RPW, Trapped in Between Lebanon
and Syria, The Absence of Durable Solutions for Syria’s Refugees, October 2020, url, p. 8
38 RPW, Trapped in Between Lebanon and Syria, The Absence of Durable Solutions for Syria’s Refugees, October 2020, url,
p. 21
39 In French and Arabic the GSO is known as Sûreté Générale (SG) and Maktab Al-Amn Al-Aam Al-Lubnani respectively.
40 International organisation working in Lebanon, interview, 10 February 2021; International humanitarian organisation
working in Syria, Microsoft Teams interview, 18 February 2021; Anonymous source, e-mail correspondence, 19 April 2021
41 Anonymous source, e-mail correspondence, 19 April 2021

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Country of origin information report | Syria: Situation of returnees from abroad

returns from Lebanon to Syria is Hezbollah42, a militant Shia movement that is allied to the GoS43 andthe military wing of which has been designated as a terrorist organisation by the EU.44 Sources notedthat there is little information available about procedures and practicalities of the Hezbollahfacilitated returns.45
There are several obstacles for Syrians to return from Lebanon to Syria, one of them being thechallenge to regularise one’s residency status to legally exit Lebanon. As mentioned previously, mostSyrians in Lebanon have not regularised their residency status. In order to leave the country legally,members of this group need to pay a fee for each year having overstayed their residency permit,
amounting to 300 000 Lebanese Pound (LBP) per year (according to CoinMill46, an online currency
convertor, LBP 300 000 amounted to EUR 166.47 on 12 March 2021).47 Those who officially entered
Lebanon before 5 January 2015 and overstayed their residency permits will not receive a re-entry
ban upon exiting the country. Those who entered Lebanon after 5 January 2015 and overstayed
their residency permits will receive a re-entry ban for one year upon leaving the country. Those who
fail to pay the fee for having overstayed their residency permits are allowed to exit Lebanon, butthey will be issued a permanent re-entry ban, which in practice is issued for a period of five years. All
returnees who have entered Lebanon illegally need to pay a fine for their illegal entry, amounting to
LBP 600 00048, and will be given a permanent re-entry ban, which in practice is issued for a period offive years.49 An anonymous source, however, remarked that the application of the aforementioned
regulations seems to be inconsistent at times.50
The mandatory security check constitutes another obstacle to overcome. When participating in a
GSO-facilitated return, the GSO will conduct a security check in conjunction with the Syrian
authorities, forwarding the returnee’s personal details to the Syrian authorities. The latter
subsequently informs the GSO which persons have received a security clearance.51 The publicly
available percentages of rejected and approved applications vary. In September 2018, the GSO’s
General Director stated that on average 10 % of the applicants are denied security clearance by the
Syrian authorities.52 During an interview with the International Crisis Group (ICG)53 in August 2019,
however, a senior Lebanese security official stated that the average approval rate is around 80 %. A

42 Alternatively transliterated as Hizballah. Hezbollah means ‘Party of God’ or ‘Party of Allah’.
43 Arab News, Few Takers for Hezbollah Offer to Repatriate Syrian Refugees, 20 July 2018, url; SAWA for Development and

Aid, Unpacking Return, Syrian Refugees’ Conditions and Concerns, February 2019, url, p. 23; Landinfo, Syria, Return from
Abroad, 10 February 2020, url, p. 11; International Crisis Group, Easing Syrian Refugees’ Plight in Lebanon, Middle East
Report N˚211, 13 February 2020, url, p. 17
44
Official Journal of the European Union, L 043, 8 February 2021, url
45
SAWA for Development and Aid, Unpacking Return, Syrian Refugees’ Conditions and Concerns, February 2019, url, p. 23;
Landinfo, Syria, Return from Abroad, 10 February 2020, url, p. 11
46
CoinMill.com, 12 March 2021, url
47 International humanitarian organisation working in Syria, e-mail correspondence, 12 March 2021; Anonymous source, email correspondence, 19 April 2021
48 According to CoinMill, an online currency convertor, LBP 600 000 amounted EUR 332.97 on 12 March 2021.
49 International humanitarian organisation working in Syria, e-mail correspondence, 12 March 2021
50 Anonymous source, e-mail correspondence, 19 April 2021
51 SAWA for Development and Aid, Unpacking Return, Syrian Refugees’ Conditions and Concerns, February 2019, url, p. 22;
Carnegie Middle East Center, Into the Fire, Countries are Forcibly Sending Syrians Back Home, Though Their Country
Remains Highly Insecure, 11 September 2019, url; Landinfo, Syria, Return from Abroad, 10 February 2020, url, pp. 10-11;
International Crisis Group, Easing Syrian Refugees’ Plight in Lebanon, Middle East Report N˚211, 13 February 2020, url, p.
18; International humanitarian organisation working in Syria, e-mail correspondence, 17 March 2021, Anonymous source,
e-mail correspondence, 19 April 2021
52 Reuters, Fifty Thousand Syrians Returned to Syria From Lebanon This Year: Official, 25 September 2018, url
53 The International Crisis Group is an NGO committed to conflict prevention and conflict resolution. For more information
about the International Crisis Group, please visit: url

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Country of origin information report | Syria: Situation of returnees from abroad

journalist and humanitarian agency researcher told ICG that for applicants hailing from opposition
strongholds, the approval rate is nearly zero.54
Another obstacle is the compulsory fee to be paid to the Syrian authorities when entering Syria.
Each Syrian national entering Syria must exchange USD 100 for Syrian pounds (SYP) at the official
rate. This decision was issued by the GoS on 8 July 2020 and took effect as of August 2020. Minors aswell as truck and public vehicle drivers are said to be exempted from this compulsory measure.55
However, according to one anonymous source, effective implementation of these exemptions is still
pending and therefore it remains unclear if and how this will be applied in practice.56
The COVID-19 pandemic also obstructed the process of return from Lebanon to Syria. On
22 March 2020, the Syrian authorities closed the land crossings between Lebanon and Syria. As aresult, Syrians who had left Lebanon got stuck in the buffer zone between both countries.57 The
numbers of stranded returnees in no man’s land vary between 7 000 and 13 000 individuals.58 From
time to time, the Syrian authorities would arbitrarily allow some returnees to enter Syria and go intoquarantine. Some groups of returnees remained stuck between the Lebanese and Syrian bordercrossings for weeks, facing a lack of food and water. Some did not wait to be allowed entry by the
Syrian authorities and sought to enter Syria illegally instead.59 At the time of writing, there were noreports of Syrians being stuck at the Lebanese-Syrian border.60
The GSO has not published any figure in regard to returns in 2020.61 UNHCR recorded 9 351
voluntary refugee returns from Lebanon to Syria in 2020 and 762 voluntary refugee returns during
the first three months of 2021.62 However, the extent to which these returns are truly ‘voluntary’ innature has been questioned.63 During the report’s period of reference, Lebanon was struck by aseries of setbacks: the COVID-19 pandemic, the Beirut Port explosion and financial, economic andpolitical crises. Syrian refugees were among the most vulnerable and impoverished groups in
Lebanese society, since many had neither legal residency nor a durable income.64 According to anassessment made by three UN branches65, the percentage of Syrian refugee households living under

54 International Crisis Group, Easing Syrian Refugees’ Plight in Lebanon, Middle East Report N˚211, 13 February 2020, url, p.

20
55 North Press Agency, Syrian Government Forces Those Entering Country to Exchange $100, 10 July 2020, url; SNHR, The
Syrian Regime Prevents Hundreds of Syrians from Returning from Lebanon to Their Homeland, 9 September 2020, url, p. 6;
HRW, Syria’s 100 Dollar Barrier to Return, 23 September 2020, url; Suhail Al-Ghazi, Microsoft Teams interview, 27 January2021; International humanitarian organisation working in Syria, Microsoft Teams interview, 18 February 2021; Anonymous
source, e-mail correspondence, 19 April 2021
56 Anonymous source, e-mail correspondence, 19 April 2021
57 North Press Agency, Nearly 2,000 Syrians Stranded on the Syrian-Lebanese Border due to Coronavirus, 18 May 2020, url;
Al Arabiya English, Caught in Between, Syrians Seeking to Return from Lebanon Stuck in Buffer Zone, 29 May 2020, url;
SNHR, The Syrian Regime Prevents Hundreds of Syrians from Returning from Lebanon to Their Homeland, 9 September
2020, url, pp. 3-6;
58 Anonymous source, e-mail correspondence, 19 April 2021
59 North Press Agency, Nearly 2,000 Syrians Stranded on the Syrian-Lebanese Border due to Coronavirus, 18 May 2020, url;
Al Arabiya English, Caught in Between, Syrians Seeking to Return from Lebanon Stuck in Buffer Zone, 29 May 2020, url;
SNHR, The Syrian Regime Prevents Hundreds of Syrians from Returning from Lebanon to Their Homeland, 9 September
2020, url, pp. 3-6;
60 Anonymous source, e-mail correspondence, 19 April 2021
61 Anonymous source, e-mail correspondence, 19 April 2021
62 UNHCR, Situation Syria Regional Refugee Response, Voluntary Syrian Refugee Returns, As of 31 March 2021, url
63
RPW, Trapped in Between Lebanon and Syria, The Absence of Durable Solutions for Syria’s Refugees, October 2020, url,
p. 6
64 SNHR, The Syrian Regime Prevents Hundreds of Syrians from Returning from Lebanon to Their Homeland, 9 September
2020, url, p. 2; SOHR, Stranded on Lebanon-Syria, 12 September 2020, url; RPW, Trapped in Between Lebanon and Syria,
The Absence of Durable Solutions for Syria’s Refugees, October 2020, url, pp. 19-21
65 These three UN branches were: UNHCR, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Children’s Fund
(UNICEF).

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Country of origin information report | Syria: Situation of returnees from abroad

the extreme poverty line increased to 89 % in 2020.66 The same survey made clear that half of the
Syrian refugee population in Lebanon was food insecure.67 Facing unemployment, food insecurity
and discrimination, some Syrians in Lebanon felt they had no choice but to return to Syria.68

1.3.4 Return from Jordan
UNHCR recorded 3 466 voluntary refugee returns from Jordan to Syria in 2020 and 1 345 voluntary
refugee returns during the first three months of 2021.69 Sources also reported on cases of Syrians
who were forcibly returned from Jordan, but no information on their treatment in Syria wasavailable.70 Unlike their Lebanese counterparts, the Jordanian authorities do not organise voluntarygroup returns for Syrians.71
Syrians need to comply with various requirements in order to return from Jordan to Syria. Syrian
returnees are required to present a Syrian passport or a Syrian laissez-passer (LP)72 when returningfrom Jordan to Syria.73 According to an international humanitarian organisation working in Syria,
when a Syrian returnee applies for a passport or LP at the Syrian Embassy in Amman, his/her namewill be run into a centralised database to verify whether the person has links to any opposition or‘terrorist’ groups.74
Apart from having a passport or an LP, a returnee needs to obtain a security clearance at the Syrian
Embassy in Amman.75 According to the same international organisation working in Syria, during thissecurity screening, information on the applicant, family members and perhaps extended family is
being checked by the Syrian authorities.76
In addition, a returnee needs to have a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result, which isno older than 96 hours. A PCR test can be obtained for free at a Jordanian hospital. Additionally,
returnees need to sign a declaration that upon return, they will go into home quarantine for fivedays. Like Syrians returning from Lebanon to Syria, every adult returning from Jordan to Syria mustexchange USD 100 upon return.77

66 Implying these Syrian refugee families in Lebanon live on less than 308,728 LBP per person per month. According to

CoinMill, an online currency convertor, 308,728 LBP amounted 171.09 Euro on 19 April 2021.
67 UNHCR Lebanon, Nine out of ten Syrian refugee families in Lebanon are now living in extreme poverty, UN study says, 18
December 2020, url
68 SNHR, The Syrian Regime Prevents Hundreds of Syrians from Returning from Lebanon to Their Homeland, 9 September
2020, url, p. 2; SOHR, Stranded on Lebanon-Syria, 12 September 2020, url; RPW, Trapped in Between Lebanon and Syria,
The Absence of Durable Solutions for Syria’s Refugees, October 2020, url, pp. 19-21
69 UNHCR, Situation Syria Regional Refugee Response, Voluntary Syrian Refugee Returns, As of 31 March 2021, url
70
AI, Jordan, Stop Forcible Transfer of Syrian Refugees to a No-Man’s Land in the Desert, 15 september 2020, url;Anonymous source, e-mail correspondence, 19 April 2021
71 Landinfo, Syria, Return from Abroad, 10 February 2020, url, p. 13; International humanitarian organisation working in
Syria, e-mail correspondence, 19 March 2021; Advocacy Coordinator at the Jordainian INGO Forum (JIF), Zoom interview,
30 March 2021; Anonymous source, e-mail correspondence, 19 April 2021
72 In Arabic known as Wathecat Abour or waraqet mror, meaning literally ‘crossing paper’ or ‘passing paper’.
73 International humanitarian organisation working in Syria, Microsoft Teams interview, 18 February 2021; Advocacy
Coordinator at the Jordainian INGO Forum (JIF), Zoom interview, 30 March 2021; Anonymous source, e-mailcorrespondence, 19 April 2021
74 International humanitarian organisation working in Syria, Microsoft Teams interview, 18 February 2021
75 International humanitarian organisation working in Syria, Microsoft Teams interview, 18 February 2021; Advocacy
Coordinator at the Jordainian INGO Forum (JIF), Zoom interview, 30 March 2021
76 International humanitarian organisation working in Syria, Microsoft Teams interview, 18 February 2021
77 International humanitarian organisation working in Syria, Microsoft Teams interview, 18 February 2021; Advocacy
Coordinator at the Jordainian INGO Forum (JIF), Zoom interview, 30 March 2021; Anonymous source, e-mailcorrespondence, 19 April 2021

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Country of origin information report | Syria: Situation of returnees from abroad

A Syrian who has left Jordan on a Syrian LP cannot re-enter Jordan using this type of travel
document. Syrian passport holders can (re-)enter Jordan provided they comply with a set of
requirements:•••

having a valid passport;
having a security approval;
having an entry or exit/entry permit.78

78 International humanitarian organisation working in Syria, e-mail correspondence, 18 and 19 March 2021; Anonymous

source, e-mail correspondence, 19 April 2021

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Country of origin information report | Syria: Situation of returnees from abroad

2. Consequences of illegal exit and having
applied for asylum abroad
2.1 Consequences of illegal exit
Previously, illegal exit from Syria would lead to punishment by means of imprisonment and/or fines.
However, on 26 March 2019, the Syrian Ministry of Interior issued circular No. 342, waiving the
aforementioned punishment.79 Having exited Syria illegally, however, remains a matter that needs
to be settled through a formal procedure, variously referred to as ‘status settlement’ or ‘security
clearance’, prior to one’s return to Syria.80 This procedure will be discussed in more detail in Chapter
3: GoS return policy and practice.
A Legal and Human Rights Adviser at SJAC mentioned explicitly that a person who has exited Syria
illegally cannot initiate any legal procedure inside Syria. If a returnee goes back to Syria without
having settled his or her illegal exit first, he or she will be sent to a military prison or military security
branch straight away, according to the same expert.81 However, it has also been documented thatsome returnees who did settle their illegal exit prior to return were nonetheless arrested upon
return.82 For more information about the treatment of returnees, please read Chapter 5: Treatment
upon return.

2.2 Consequences of having applied for asylum abroad
No unambiguous answer could be found to the question about how those having applied for asylum
abroad will be treated upon return. General Naji Numeir, the Chief of the Syrian Immigration andPassports Department, told the DIS during an interview held in November 2018 that returnees
would not be prosecuted or arrested upon return for obtaining asylum in neighbouring countries orother countries, including Western countries. A Damascus-based lawyer told the DIS in November
2018 that having applied for asylum in other countries does not lead to punishment upon return,unless the returnee in case is a well-known political or military opponent.83
A Syria expert at the European Institute of Peace (EIP) believed that having applied for asylum
abroad might be something to settle through a formal procedure which will be discussed in moredetail in in Chapter 3: GoS return policy and practice.84 A Legal and Human Rights Adviser at SJAC

79 DIS and DRC, Syria, Security Situation in Damascus Province and Issues Regarding Return to Syria, Report based oninterviews between 16 to 27 November 2018 in Beirut and Damascus, February 2019, url, p. 19; DIS, Syria, Consequencesof Illegal Exit, Consequences of Leaving a Civil Servant Position Without Notice and the Situation of Kurds in Damascus,
June 2019, url, pp. 6-7; UNHCR, Relevant Country of Origin Information to Assist with the Application of UNHCR’s Country
Guidance on Syria, 7 May 2020, url, pp. 20-21
80 DIS and DRC, Syria, Security Situation in Damascus Province and Issues Regarding Return to Syria, Report based oninterviews between 16 to 27 November 2018 in Beirut and Damascus, February 2019, url, p. 19; DIS, Syria, Consequencesof Illegal Exit, Consequences of Leaving a Civil Servant Position Without Notice and the Situation of Kurds in Damascus,
June 2019, url, p. 7
Landinfo, Syria, Return from Abroad, 10 February 2020, url, p. 18; DIS, Syria, Security Clearance and Status Settlement for
Returnees, December 2020, url, p. 11; Legal & Human Rights Adviser at the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC),
WhatsApp interview, 2 April 2021
81 Legal & Human Rights Adviser at the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC), WhatsApp interview, 2 April 2021.
82 DIS, Syria, Security Clearance and Status Settlement for Returnees [Source: Suhail Al-Ghazi, non-resident fellow at Tahrir
Institute for Middle East Policy], December 2020, url, p. 11
83 DIS and DRC, Syria, Security Situation in Damascus Province and Issues Regarding Return to Syria, Report based oninterviews between 16 to 27 November 2018 in Beirut and Damascus, February 2019, url, p. 20
84 Syria expert at the European Institute of Peace (EIP), Zoom interview, 1 April 2021

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Country of origin information report | Syria: Situation of returnees from abroad

reported that it varies from case to case. This expert knew of former asylum seekers who did notexperience any personal problems with the Syrian authorities upon return, whereas other former
asylum seekers were either killed or forcibly disappeared by the Syrian authorities upon return.85 For
more information about the treatment of returnees, please read Chapter 5: Treatment upon return.

2.3 Monitoring of the Syrian diaspora by the Syrian authorities
It has been established by several sources that Syrians abroad are to a certain extent monitored by
the Syrian authorities. SJAC, for instance, obtained Syrian government documents, exposing that the
Syrian embassies in Spain and Saudi Arabia were involved in collecting information about dissident
members of the Syrian diaspora and forwarding this information to various intelligence directorates
in Syria.86 According to a Syria expert at the EIP, activists and civil society organisations areextensively monitored by the Syrian authorities.87
According to a Syria expert at the EIP, Syrians in the diaspora are being monitored in two ways:
informally and formally. The informal way of monitoring involves individuals reporting others to the
Syrian authorities. These informants are not officially employed by the security branches, but reportothers in order to appear loyal to the GoS. In doing so, they seek to ward off any possible negative
attention that might be directed at themselves. The formal way of monitoring involves state
institutions like embassies and security branches collecting information about dissident Syrians
residing abroad. The source consulted had knowledge of social media accounts and social mediagroups of Syrians living abroad being monitored by security branches.88
Jusoor for Studies states that the Syrian authorities have deployed intelligence agents andinformants in the countries of asylum, including the EU and Turkey, to monitor Syrians in thediaspora and report on them on a weekly basis. These agents and informants are affiliated todifferent security branches: 4th Division Security Bureau, Branch 279 of the General Intelligence
Department, Branch 297 of the Military Intelligence Division, the Air Force Intelligence andBranch 300. Thus, according to Jusoor for Studies, political and humanitarian activists who are
considering to return to Syria are at great risk.89

85 Legal & Human Rights Adviser at the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC), WhatsApp interview, 2 April 2021
86 SJAC, Shadows of Surveillance, Government Documents Confirm Syrian Embassies Monitored Syrians Abroad, 24

September 2020, url
87 Syria expert at the European Institute of Peace (EIP), Zoom interview, 1 April 2021
88 Syria expert at the European Institute of Peace (EIP), Zoom interview, 1 April 2021
89 Jusoor for Studies, e-mail correspondence, 12 April 2021

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Country of origin information report | Syria: Situation of returnees from abroad

3. GoS return policy and practice
3.1 Introduction
Returnees from abroad as well as internally displaced persons (IDPs) from opposition-held areas
need to be cleared by the Syrian authorities in order to return to government-controlled Syria.90
Omran for Strategic Studies notes that the government’s security forces require all returnees toattain security permits prior to returning and that many returnees were reportedly arrested for notpossessing the requested documents.91
In the existing literature on formal returns to government-held Syria two prominent notions come tothe fore: ‘security clearance’ (Arabic: muwafaka amniya) and ‘status settlement/adjustment’(Arabic: taswiyat Wada’92).93 According to the DIS, the application for a security clearance is aprocess through which the Syrian authorities cross-check whether a person is on any wanted list andis to be considered a security threat, whereas settling one’s status involves a process in which aperson settles his/her outstanding security issues with the Syrian authorities, like having left thecountry illegally, having participated in an anti-government demonstration or having evaded themilitary service.94
The sources consulted for this report, however, mentioned that there was no clear distinction
between applying for a security clearance and settling one’s status. If a Syrian residing in aneighbouring country or in an EU Member State wants to return legally to government-held Syria, heor she will have to apply at a Syrian diplomatic mission. During this procedure, which is variously
referred to as ‘security approval’ or ‘status settlement’, the applicant is being checked by the Syrian
authorities in one way or another.95 From now onwards, this report will only use the term ‘security
clearance’ in a generic way for the purpose of clarity. According to Suhail Al-Ghazi, only those whohave left Syria legally, are not wanted by the Syrian authorities, and still possess a valid passport, are
not required to apply for a security clearance in order to return to Syria.96
It is common practice for those considering to return to Syria to find out first whether they are on
any wanted list of Syria’s security branches before applying for a security clearance. They seek to do
this through their informal network of personal connections, a practice popularly referred to as
wasta.97 It should be stressed, however, that collecting information through the practice of wasta is
not exhaustive. Therefore, if a returnee finds out through wasta that he or she is not wanted by the

90 DIS, Syria, Security Situation in Damascus Province and Issues Regarding Return to Syria, February 2019, url, p. 20; EIP,

Refugee Return in Syria, Dangers, Security Risks and Information Scarcity, July 2019, url, p. 20; Omran for Strategic Studies,
The Security Landscape in Syria and its Impact on the Return of Refugees, An Opinion Survey, December 2020, url, p. 69
91 Omran for Strategic Studies, The Security Landscape in Syria and its Impact on the Return of Refugees, An Opinion
Survey, December 2020, url, p. 69
92 An alternative transliteration of taswiyat Wada’ is Taswiet Wadea.
93 Landinfo, Syria, Return from Abroad, 10 February 2020, url, p. 7; DIS, Syria, Security Clearance and Status Settlement for
Returnees, December 2020, url, pp. 3-10
94 DIS, Syria, Security Clearance and Status Settlement for Returnees, December 2020, url, pp. 3, 8
95 Suhail Al-Ghazi, Microsoft Teams interview, 27 January 2021; Syria expert at the European Institute of Peace (EIP), Zoom
interview, 1 April 2021; Legal & Human Rights Adviser at the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC), WhatsApp
interview, 2 April 2021
96 Suhail Al-Ghazi, e-mail correspondence, 29 April 2021
97 Suhail Al-Ghazi, Microsoft Teams interview, 27 January 2021; Nawar Shaban and Muhsen al Mustafa, interview, 5February 2021; Syria expert at the European Institute of Peace (EIP), Zoom interview, 1 April 2021; Legal & Human Rights
Adviser at the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC), WhatsApp interview, 2 April 2021

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Country of origin information report | Syria: Situation of returnees from abroad

Syrian authorities, there is no guarantee that he or she will not be arrested and detained upon
return.98

3.2 The procedure itself
A security clearance can be applied for in two ways. One, the returnee lodges an application at a
Syrian embassy or consulate himself or herself. Two, a first-degree relative99 of the returnee applies
on behalf of the returnee inside Syria.100 The sources consulted gave conflicting information about
the government agency where the returnee’s relative is supposed to apply. A Legal and Human
Rights Adviser at SJAC and Suhail Al-Ghazi mentioned the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs inDamascus101, whereas Urnammu for Justice and Human Rights mentioned the Immigration
Department or one of its branches in the governorates.102
If a relative in Syria applies on behalf of the returnee, the relative will be required to prove thefamily ties by submitting a document like a family booklet or a family extract from the civil registry
office. The relative is not required to submit a power of attorney.103 Relatives in Syria need to pay afee.104 Suhail Al-Ghazi believes that the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will charge a fee ranging
from SYP 5 000 to SYP 15 000 (according to CoinMill105, an online currency convertor, SYP 5 000 and
SYP 15 000 amounted to EUR 3.35 and EUR 10.06 respectively on 8 April 2021).106
As for applications at Syrian diplomatic missions, these are for free, according to a Legal and Human
Rights Adviser at SJAC and Suhail Al-Ghazi, although one needs to pay a bribe in order to get an
appointment.107 Urnammu for Justice and Human Rights, however, states that one needs to pay a
consular fee amounting EUR 46 when applying for a security clearance at a Syrian diplomatic
mission.108
To complete the application for a security clearance, so-called ‘return’ or ‘reconciliation’ forms need
to be filled out. When filling out such forms, the returnee is required to write down his or her
personal details and provide information on whether he or she has participated in any antigovernment activities, whether his or her relatives have engaged in any anti-government activities
or have been detained, whether he or she knows of any ‘terrorists’ and/or ‘terrorist activities’, andso on.109 According to a Syria expert at the EIP, these forms constitute an unwinnable situation for
applicants. If the applicant answers ‘yes’ to any of the security-related questions asked, he or she
will incriminate himself or herself and/or others. However, if the applicant answers ‘no’ to any of the

98 Nawar Shaban and Muhsen al Mustafa, interview, 5 February 2021; Legal & Human Rights Adviser at the Syria Justiceand Accountability Centre (SJAC), WhatsApp interview, 2 April 2021
99 First degree relatives include parents, siblings and offspring.
100 Suhail Al-Ghazi, Microsoft Teams interview, 27 January 2021; Legal & Human Rights Adviser at the Syria Justice andAccountability Centre (SJAC), WhatsApp interview, 2 April 2021; Urnammu for Justice and Human Rights, e-mailcorrespondence, 12 April 2021
101 Legal & Human Rights Adviser at the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC), WhatsApp interview, 2 April 2021;
Suhail Al-Ghazi, e-mail correspondence, 8 April 2021
102 Urnammu for Justice and Human Rights, e-mail correspondence, 12 April 2021
103 Legal & Human Rights Adviser at the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC), WhatsApp interview, 2 April 2021;
Suhail Al-Ghazi, e-mail correspondence, 8 April 2021; Urnammu for Justice and Human Rights, e-mail correspondence, 12April 2021
104 Legal & Human Rights Adviser at the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC), WhatsApp interview, 2 April 2021;
Suhail Al-Ghazi, e-mail correspondence, 8 April 2021
105
CoinMill.com, 8 April 2021, url
106 Suhail Al-Ghazi, e-mail correspondence, 8 April 2021
107 Legal & Human Rights Adviser at the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC), WhatsApp interview, 2 April 2021;
Suhail Al-Ghazi, e-mail correspondence, 8 April 2021
108 Urnammu for Justice and Human Rights, e-mail correspondence, 12 April 2021
109 EIP, Refugee Return in Syria, Dangers, Security Risks and Information Scarcity, July 2019, url, p. 21; Suhail Al-Ghazi,
Microsoft Teams interview, 27 January 2021

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Country of origin information report | Syria: Situation of returnees from abroad

security-related questions, he or she fails to fulfil his or her citizen’s duty to report ‘terrorism’ to the
Syrian authorities. After a decade of widespread armed conflict, the authorities will not find it likelythat one is not aware of any security threat against the GoS.110
Regardless of whether the application has been submitted by the returnee or a relative, it will be
forwarded to Syria’s security apparatus.111 A Legal and Human Rights Adviser at SJAC specifies thatapplications for a security approval are being forwarded to the military security branch 291 based inDamascus.112 The security personnel will check whether the returnee has been involved in (armed)
opposition against the GoS, whether the returnee has left the country legally or illegally, whether
the returnee has posted and/or liked posts on the social media that are critical of the GoS, whether
any of the returnee’s relatives have been detained, and so on.113
The duration of an application varies from one month to up to six months.114 The sources consulted
gave contradictory information about the type of document that was given by the Syrian authorities
to a returnee upon approval of his or her application. According to a Legal and Human Rights Adviser
at SJAC and Urnammu for Justice and Human Rights, the LP itself served as a document confirmingthat a security clearance has been granted.115 Suhail Al-Ghazi, however, stated that the returnee
would receive a so-called taswiyat Wada’ document that was stamped by the Syrian Ministry ofInterior, having a validity for a period of six to twelve months.116
If a relative has applied on behalf of a returnee and the security clearance has been granted, there
are two different methods for the returnee to obtain the written approval, according to the sources
consulted. According to Suhail Al-Ghazi, the relative will receive a document mentioning thereturnee’s name, information and case number. The relative subsequently transmits the relevant
data mentioned on this document to the returnee. Upon entering Syria at the airport or over land,
the returnee can mention the aforementioned data to the Syrian authorities, which willsubsequently print and issue the taswiyat Wada’ document.117 According to a Legal and Human
Rights Adviser at SJAC, however, the relative receives the LP and sends it by an express shipping
service to the returnee living abroad.118
The sources consulted gave conflicting information whether applications for a security clearance
would be denied by the Syrian authorities in some cases. Suhail Al-Ghazi, a Legal and Human Rights
Adviser at SJAC and Urnammu for Justice and Human Rights mentioned that the Syrian authorities
were not inclined to deny security clearances to returnees. On the contrary, according to thesesources, the Syrian authorities would be interested in persuading dissident returnees to come back110 Syria expert at the European Institute of Peace (EIP), Zoom interview, 1 April 2021
111 Suhail Al-Ghazi, Microsoft Teams interview, 27 January 2021; Syria expert at the European Institute of Peace (EIP), Zoom

interview, 1 April 2021; Legal & Human Rights Adviser at the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC), WhatsApp
interview, 2 April 2021; Urnammu for Justice and Human Rights, e-mail correspondence, 12 April 2021
112 Legal & Human Rights Adviser at the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC), WhatsApp interview, 2 April 2021
113 EIP, Refugee Return in Syria, Dangers, Security Risks and Information Scarcity, July 2019, url, p. 21; DIS, Syria, Security
Clearance and Status Settlement for Returnees, December 2020, url, p. 9; Syria expert at the European Institute of Peace(EIP), Zoom interview, 1 April 2021; Legal & Human Rights Adviser at the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC),
WhatsApp interview, 2 April 2021
114 Suhail Al-Ghazi, Microsoft Teams interview, 27 January 2021; Legal & Human Rights Adviser at the Syria Justice andAccountability Centre (SJAC), WhatsApp interview, 2 April 2021
115 Legal & Human Rights Adviser at the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC), WhatsApp interview, 2 April 2021;
Urnammu for Justice and Human Rights, e-mail correspondence, 16 April 2021
116 Suhail Al-Ghazi, e-mail correspondence, 7 April 2021
117 Suhail Al-Ghazi, e-mail correspondence, 8 April 2021
118 Legal & Human Rights Adviser at the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC), e-mail correspondence, 12 April
2021

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Country of origin information report | Syria: Situation of returnees from abroadhome only to arrest them upon return; either to quell their anti-government activism or to extort
money from their families.119
A Syria expert at the EIP, however, had knowledge of Syrian refugees who had their applications
rejected. The same expert stated that the reasons for rejecting an application are infinite, including
posting and/or liking statements on social media that are critical of the GoS, having a relative in
detention, having a name that is similar to a wanted person, returning from a country that isdeemed hostile to the GoS, hailing from a former opposition stronghold, and so on.120 This
information seems to resonate with other sources of information. ICG spoke to sources who made it
clear that not all applications for a security clearance lodged in Lebanon were approved, as has been
discussed in Section 1.3.3 Return from Lebanon.121 In September 2019, the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie
Middle East Center122 reported that hundreds of Syrians in Lebanon had applied, yet only a fraction
was allowed to return to Syria.123
Finally, according to a Syria expert at the EIP and Urnammu for Justice and Human Rights, theprocessing of applications for a security clearance is an arbitrary and non-transparent affair.
Therefore, the precise requirements for obtaining a security clearance remain unclear.124 Urnummu
for Justice and Human Rights mentioned that sometimes a security clearance is issued after a bribehas been given or when the applicant happens to know an influential person within the GoS.125

119 Suhail Al-Ghazi, Microsoft Teams interview, 27 January 2021; Legal & Human Rights Adviser at the Syria Justice andAccountability Centre (SJAC), WhatsApp interview, 2 April 2021; Urnammu for Justice and Human Rights, e-mailcorrespondence, 12 April 2021
120 Syria expert at the European Institute of Peace (EIP), Zoom interview, 1 April 2021
121 International Crisis Group, Easing Syrian Refugees’ Plight in Lebanon, Middle East Report N˚211, 13 February 2020, url,
p. 20
122 This Beirut-based center provides in-depth analysis of political, socio-economic and security issues in the Middle Eastand North Africa. For more information about the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, please visit: url
123 Carnegie Middle East Center, Into the Fire, Countries are Forcibly Sending Syrians Back Home, Though Their Country
Remains Highly Insecure, 11 September 2019, url
124 SAWA for Development and Aid, Unpacking Return, Syrian Refugees’ Conditions and Concerns, February 2019, url, p.
22; Syria expert at the European Institute of Peace (EIP), Zoom interview, 1 April 2021; Urnammu for Justice and Human
Rights, e-mail correspondence, 12 April 2021
125 Urnammu for Justice and Human Rights, e-mail correspondence, 12 April 2021

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Country of origin information report | Syria: Situation of returnees from abroad

4. Potential obstacles to return
4.1 Access limitations to areas of returnA security clearance granted by a Syrian embassy or consulate to a returnee only serves the purposeof permitting the holder to enter Syria. A security clearance does not guarantee a returnee tophysically access his or her place of origin inside government-held Syria. Returning to one’s place oforigin inside government-controlled Syria involves another trajectory, which is managed by local
power brokers like municipal authorities or local government-supporting militias. Procedures toobtain a permission to enter one’s place of origin vary from place to place and from actor to actor.
As local power dynamics are shifting over time, the varying procedures are also subject to change.126
To make matters more complicated, a security clearance issued by one government-aligned entity
inside Syria may be considered invalid in areas controlled by other government-affiliated entities.
This can be attributed to the fragmentation of the government’s security apparatus, limiting mobility
to areas controlled by specific government-aligned security entities.127
During the report’s period of reference, the UN observed that the Syrian authorities routinely denied
Syrians return to their places of origin, most notably in formerly besieged areas that had beenretaken by the Syrian armed forces.128 Some sources stated that some groups of returnees weredenied access to a particular area of origin, because of their ethnicity, religion and/or politicalorientation. Suhail Al-Ghazi, for instance, mentioned that some Iranian-backed militias kept Sunni
returnees, who are deemed disloyal to the GoS, out of particular areas in order to alter the area’s
demographic composition in favour of the Shia community.129 It has been reported, for instance,that Hezbollah prevented displaced residents of Sunni origins from returning to Qusair130 in Homs
governorate and Zabadani in Rif Dismashq (Rural Damascus) governorate.131 Al Jazeera was told bysome Palestinian activists that only pro-government Palestinians were allowed by the Syrian
authorities to return to Yarmouk, a camp for Palestinian refugees that got largely destroyed by thewar.132 A Legal and Human Rights Adviser at SJAC, however, remarked that swaths of governmentheld Syria were not accessible to the general public anyhow and that the denial of access to theseareas was not only aimed at particular groups of returnees.133
Further information on internal mobility and areas within Damascus governorate where access islimited is available in Chapter 2 of the EASO COI Report: Syria – Socio-economic situation in
Damascus city (April 2021).

126 Syria expert at the European Institute of Peace (EIP), 1 April 2021
127 NGO Joint Research Project, Syria Solutions Analysis, An Assessment of Durable Solutions Conditions at the Whole of

Syria Level, January 2021, private document held on file, p. 18
128 UN Human Rights Council, Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic,
14 August 2020, url, p. 8; UN Human Rights Council, Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the
Syrian Arab Republic, 21 January 2021, url, p. 10
129 Suhail Al-Ghazi, Microsoft Teams interview, 27 January 2021; Suhail Al-Ghazi, e-mail correspondence, 7 and 9 April 2021
130 Alternatively transliterated as ‘Qusayr’.
131 Ezzi, M., Lebanese Hezbollah’s Experience in Syria, European University Institute, 13 March 2020, url, p. 8, 13 and 14;
Suhail Al-Ghazi, Microsoft Teams interview, 27 January 2021; Suhail Al-Ghazi, e-mail correspondence, 7 and 9 April 2021
132 Al Jazeera, ‘Afraid of Return’, Palestinians Fearful of Life in Yarmouk Camp, 30 March 2021, url
133 Legal & Human Rights Adviser at the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC), WhatsApp interview, 2 April 2021

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Country of origin information report | Syria: Situation of returnees from abroad

4.2 Civil documentation and nationality
Lacking civil documentation does not necessarily obstruct the process of return itself, according to a
Legal and Human Rights Adviser at SJAC.134 Those who do not have a passport or whose passport got
expired, for instance, can apply for an LP at a Syrian diplomatic mission abroad.135
However, a lack of civil documentation can certainly frustrate a returnee upon return when seeking
to access government services, initiate legal procedures and file property claims.136 Family booklets
and family extracts, for instance, grant the holder access to public services, including education,
health care and emergency assistance. Loss of such documentation could lead to the refusal of theaforementioned services.137 The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)138 reported that many Syrian
refugees living in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq do not possess legal and civil documentation to
support their HLP rights, which constitutes a challenge for those considering to return voluntarily to
Syria.139 For more information about HLP rights in relation to return, please read Section 4.3
Housing, land and property rights.
Another issue that could pose a stumbling block to one’s return is Syria’s nationality law. According
to Article 21(E) of the aforementioned law, a citizen may be deprived of the Syrian nationality in caseit has been established that the person has left Syria illegally for another country which is in a stateof war with Syria. A citizen may also be stripped of the nationality if the person has been away formore than three years in a non-Arab country without communicating with the Syrian authorities,
according to Article 21(G).140 When asked about practical implementation of Article 21, a Syria
expert at EIP stated that it is unclear which countries the GoS regards itself at war with, but
Article 21(E) could be applicable to those having left illegally for Turkey, a country that supports
armed actors opposing the GoS.141 Neither is Syria’s nationality law clear about which countries are
regarded as ‘non-Arab’, but according to a Syria expert at EIP, Article 21(G) could apply to returnees
coming from Turkey, the EU, the US, Canada and Latin America who have been abroad for morethan three years without having communicated with the Syrian authorities.142 At the time of writing,however, no further information has been found on whether Article 21 of the nationality law wasbeing implemented within the context of return and if so, how and against whom.
Further information on civil documentation is available in Chapter 2 of the EASO COI Report: Syria –Socio-economic situation in Damascus city (April 2021).

4.3 Housing, land and property rights
The government’s violations of Syrians’ HLP rights pose another stumbling block for IDPs andrefugees to return. Since 2011, the GoS has enacted a series of laws and administrative decisions to

134 Legal & Human Rights Adviser at the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC), WhatsApp interview, 2 April 2021
135 International humanitarian organisation working in Syria, Microsoft Teams interview, 18 February 2021; Legal & Human

Rights Adviser at the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC), WhatsApp interview, 2 April 2021
136 NRC, Housing Land and Property (HLP) in the Syrian Arab Republic, May 2016, url, p. 15; PAX and Impunity Watch,
Violations of Housing, Land and Property Rights, An Obstacle to Peace in Syria, March 2020, url, p. 4; NRC, The Darkest
Decade, What Displaced Syrians Face if the World Continues to Fail Them, March 2021, url, pp. 22-23
137 Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thematic Country of Origin Information Report, Syria, Documents, December
2019, url, pp. 27, 30
138 The NRC is a humanitarian NGO seeking to protect the rights of refugees and IDPs worldwide. For more information,please visit: url
139 NRC, The Darkest Decade, What Displaced Syrians Face if the World Continues to Fail Them, March 2021, url, pp. 22-23
140 Syrian Arab Republic, Syrian Nationality Law, 1969, Legislative Decree 276, 24 November 1969, url, p. 7
141 Syria expert at the European Institute of Peace (EIP), e-mail correspondence, 9 April 2021
142 Syria expert at the European Institute of Peace (EIP), e-mail correspondence, 9 April 2021

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Country of origin information report | Syria: Situation of returnees from abroad

legitimise the expropriation of properties.143 The GoS, for instance, enacted urban development
legislation, purportedly to rebuild or redevelop informal settlements. In reality, however, theseurban development projects served as a pretext to evict the pre-dominantly pro-opposition
residents from their homes in favour of wealthy elites having close ties to the GoS.144
The Syrian authorities also confiscate houses and property of detainees (including those who havenot been convicted yet), displaced persons and human rights activists within the framework of antiterrorism and national security legislation, thus using the seizure of houses and property as a means
to target and punish detainees, opponents and human rights activists.145 The GoS also expropriates
houses in order to give to members of the Syrian military and to sell to Iranian militias supporting
the GoS.146
It has also been reported that government-aligned militias have confiscated houses andproperties.147 For instance, it was reported that Liwa Al-Quds, a pro-government militia consisting ofPalestinians148, confiscated homes and shops of (perceived) pro-opposition Palestinians in Neirab, aPalestinian refugee camp in the northern governorate of Aleppo.149 Two years ago, pro-Iranian Shia
militias confiscated farmlands near Mayadeen, a city in the eastern governorate of Deir-ez-Zor. Up
to now, the original residents cannot enter this farm area harbouring palm and olive groves.150
Further information on HLP issues in Damascus governorate is available in Section 3.5 of the EASOCOI Report: Syria – Socio-economic situation in Damascus city (April 2021).

143 SJAC, Return is a Dream, Options for Post-Conflict Property Restitution in Syria, September 2018, url, p. 6; PAX and

Impunity Watch, Violations of Housing, Land and Property Rights, An Obstacle to Peace in Syria, March 2020, url, p. 2;
TIMEP, Part 1, Violations in Government-held Areas, 4 February 2021, url
144 PAX and Impunity Watch, Violations of Housing, Land and Property Rights, An Obstacle to Peace in Syria, March 2020,
url, pp. 2-3; TIMEP, Part 1, Violations in Government-held Areas, 4 February 2021, url
145 SJAC, Return is a Dream, Options for Post-Conflict Property Restitution in Syria, September 2018, url, p. 12; PAX and
Impunity Watch, Violations of Housing, Land and Property Rights, An Obstacle to Peace in Syria, March 2020, url, pp. 5-6;
TIMEP, Part 1, Violations in Government-held Areas, 4 February 2021, url
146 TIMEP, Part 1, Violations in Government-held Areas, 4 February 2021, url
147 PAX and Impunity Watch, Violations of Housing, Land and Property Rights, An Obstacle to Peace in Syria, March 2020,
url, p. 4
148 Liwa Al-Quds means ‘Jerusalem Brigade’ in English.
149 The Syria Report, Neirab Camp. Liwa Al-Quds Seizes Properties of Pro-Opposition Palestinians, 20 January 2021, url
150 The Syria Report, Pro-Iran Militias Take Over Farms Near Mayadeen, Bar Entry for Owners, 27 January 2021, url

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Country of origin information report | Syria: Situation of returnees from abroad

5. Treatment upon return
In its April 2020 report on internally displaced persons, returnees and internal mobility, EASO cited
various sources stating that returnees had been arrested, detained and tortured by the Syrian
authorities upon return, including those who had settled their status.151 This type of treatment ofreturnees has continued to be reported by sources consulted during this report’s period ofreference. Since the beginning of 2020, for instance, the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR)152
documented at least 156 cases of arrest of returnees, including 89 cases of arrest targeting
returnees from outside Syria.153
The sources consulted for this report stressed that obtaining a security clearance will by no means
guarantee a safe return to Syria. Urnammu for Justice and Human Rights, for instance, has
documented cases of returnees who obtained a security clearance prior to return, but were
nonetheless subjected to arrest, enforced disappearances and/or death under torture upon
return.154
Moreover, it should be borne in mind that a security clearance merely permits a returnee to enter
Syria. In addition to a security clearance, it is common for returnees to receive a written instruction
to visit a particular security branch upon return. This type of document is known as Waraket
Mourajaa and is either issued to a returnee at a Syrian diplomatic mission or upon entering Syria.
Visiting a security branch brings along the risk of getting interrogated, arrested, detained, tortured
and/or forced to become an informant, government soldier or pro-government militia member.155
According to a Legal and Human Rights Adviser at SJAC, this practice puts the returnee in an
unwinnable situation. If the returnee presents himself or herself at the security branch in case, he or
she might get exposed to serious harm. However, if the returnee does not adhere to the written
instruction to visit a security branch, an arrest warrant will be issued against him or her.156
Several sources consulted mentioned in the footnotes below confirmed that the Syrian authorities
continue to arrest, (temporarily) detain, interrogate, torture and/or pursue returnees by terrorism
courts upon return. According to these sources, the following groups are particularly at risk toexperience one or more of the aforementioned forms of treatment upon return:

151 EASO, Syria, Internally Displaced Persons, Returnees and Internal Mobility, Country of Origin Information Report, April

2020, url, pp. 33-34
152 SNHR is an NGO that monitors and documents human rights violations in Syria. For more information about SNHR,
please visit: url
153 SNHR, At Least 1,882 Cases of Arbitrary Arrest/Detention Documented in Syria in 2020, 149 of Them in December,
Detainees Include 52 Children and 39 Women, 2 January 2021, url, p. 6
154 Urnammu for Justice and Human Rights, e-mail correspondence, 12 April 2021
155 Suhail Al-Ghazi, Microsoft Teams interview, 27 January 2021; Legal & Human Rights Adviser at the Syria Justice andAccountability Centre (SJAC), WhatsApp interview, 2 April 2021; Suhail Al-Ghazi, e-mail correspondence, 7 April 2021
156 Legal & Human Rights Adviser at the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC), WhatsApp interview, 2 April 2021

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Country of origin information report | Syria: Situation of returnees from abroad

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

those having engaged in anti-government protests and/or who are opposition members;157
those whose relatives have engaged in anti-government protests and/are opposition
members;158
those having a security record and/or are on a wanted list;159
those having exited Syria illegally;160
those hailing from former opposition strongholds;161
those returning from countries that are deemed hostile to the GoS;162
those who still need to serve in the military;163
women and children whose husband, father and/or brother went missing.164

With regard to the Syrian government’s negative perception of those hailing from former opposition
strongholds, a Legal and Human Rights Adviser at SJAC mentioned the cases of two returnees who
originally came from Damascus. Upon return they received a waraket mourajaa, instructing them tovisit a particular security branch. For two months, both returnees were sent from one security
branch to another and each time they found themselves paying a bribe in order to avoid arrest.
Thus, hailing from an area that has been under government control throughout the conflict does notnecessarily guarantee a safe return to government-held Syria, the expert stressed.165
As mentioned in Chapter 3. GoS return policy and practice, persons who evaded the military service
have to undergo the process of settling one’s status with the Syrian authorities before returning.166
With respect to those who have settled their draft evasion prior to return, these returnees are stillrequired to serve in the Syrian armed forces upon return167, unless they fit in one of the categories
of people that can be exempted from the military service.168
Detailed information on the situation of draft evaders and military service in the Syrian Arab Army isavailable in the EASO COI Report: Syria - Military service (April 2021).
Another factor impacting the treatment of returnees is the highly fragmented nature of Syria’s
security apparatus. For instance, there are four main security branches: the Air Force Intelligence
Directorate, the Military Intelligence Directorate, the Political Security Directorate, and the General
157 Suhail Al-Ghazi, Microsoft Teams interview, 27 January 2021; International humanitarian organisation working in Syria,

Microsoft Teams interview, 18 February 2021; Legal & Human Rights Adviser at the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre(SJAC), WhatsApp interview, 2 April 2021
158 Suhail Al-Ghazi, Microsoft Teams interview, 27 January 2021; International humanitarian organisation working in Syria,
Microsoft Teams interview, 18 February 2021
159 Legal & Human Rights Adviser at the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC), WhatsApp interview, 2 April 2021
160 International humanitarian organisation working in Syria, Microsoft Teams interview, 18 February 2021
161 Suhail Al-Ghazi, Microsoft Teams interview, 27 January 2021; Legal & Human Rights Adviser at the Syria Justice andAccountability Centre (SJAC), WhatsApp interview, 2 April 2021
162 The consulted expert mentions Turkey in particular in this regard. Legal & Human Rights Adviser at the Syria Justice andAccountability Centre (SJAC), WhatsApp interview, 2 April 2021
163 International humanitarian organisation working in Syria, Microsoft Teams interview, 18 February 2021; Hiran Ali, Signal
interview, 12 March 2021
164 The consulted expert explains that men who went missing during the conflict situation in Syria are generally suspected
to have been detained, forcefully disappeared and/or killed by the Syrian authories. Thus, their relatives are deemed proopposition by the Syrian authorities. International humanitarian organisation working in Syria, Microsoft Teams interview,
18 February 2021
165 Legal & Human Rights Adviser at the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC), WhatsApp interview, 2 April 2021
166 DIS, Syria, Security Clearance and Status Settlement for Returnees, December 2020, url, pp. 3, 8
167 Legal & Human Rights Adviser at the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC), WhatsApp interview, 2 April 2021;
Suhail Al-Ghazi, e-mail correspondence, 11 April 2021; Jusoor for Studies, e-mail correspondence, 12 April 2021; Urnammu
for Justice and Human Rights, e-mail correspondence, 12 April 2021
168 The Syrian Military Service Law identifies various categories of people that are exempted from the military service,including men who are the only male child to their parents, men who are sick/unfit for military service and men who pay
an exemption fee. DIS, Syria, Military Service, Report Based on a Fact-finding Mission to Istanbul and Beirut (17-25
February 2020), May 2020, url, pp. 20-23; EASO, Syria, Military Serice, Country of Origin Information Report, April 2021, url,
pp. 28-32

28

Country of origin information report | Syria: Situation of returnees from abroadIntelligence Directorate, the latter also known as the National Intelligence Directorate.169 According
to several sources, this could lead to a situation in which persons, returnees included, have beencleared by one intelligence directorate, but are still wanted by another intelligence directorate.
Thus, it is difficult, if not impossible, for one to determine where he or she stands in relation to
Syria’s security apparatus.170
To add more confusion to the picture, Syria’s security apparatus is inconsistent in its treatment ofreturnees. For instance, Jusoor for Studies had knowledge of returnees who were arrested because
their relatives were wanted. Yet, the same expert also knew returnees who had family members on
a wanted list and who were nonetheless not arrested.171
In its February 2020 report on the situation of Syrians in Lebanon, ICG concluded that there is nocertainty about who is safe from arrest upon return, because the authorities’ concept of who is an
opponent is not always clear or can change over time.172 This conclusion made by ICG was
corroborated by several interviews with experts. A Syria expert at the EIP mentioned that in somecases the lack of an exit stamp in one’s passport will not cause an immediate problem upon return,but could nevertheless be used against the returnee by the Syrian authorities later on.173 Jusoor for
Studies and Urnammu for Justice and Human Rights stated that some returnees are directly arrested
upon return, whereas others are arrested within one month or one to two months after theirreturn.174
The return of Mazen al-Hamada175 from the Netherlands to Syria constitutes an example of the risks
activists might be exposed to when returning to Syria. Prior to his arrival in the Netherlands in 2014,
Hamada had been arrested three times by the Syrian authorities. Upon his third and last arrest,
Hamada was detained for one and a half year at a prison in Damascus where he was subjected tovarious forms of torture. During his stay in the Netherlands, Hamada spoke openly about his
experiences as a torture survivor, testifying against the Syrian authorities at the International
Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. For unclear reasons, Hamada settled his status at the Syrian
Embassy in Berlin, Germany and returned to Syria in February 2020.176 After having arrived at the
airport in Damascus, no one heard from him anymore, making many believe that he was forcibly
disappeared by the Syrian authorities.177 According to Jusoor for Studies, Hamada was imprisoned at
Sednaya Prison and referred to the Terrorism Court.178

169 Zeegers, Maarten, Wij zijn Arabieren, Portret van ondoordringbaar Syrië, 2012, p. 44; Netherlands Ministry of Foreign

Affairs, Country of Origin Information Report Syria, May 2020, url, p. 68; Nawar Shaban and Muhsen al Mustafa, interview,
5 February 2021; Syria expert at the European Institute of Peace (EIP), Zoom interview, 1 April 2021
170 Syrian Migration Expert, interview, 11 January 2021; Nawar Shaban and Muhsen al Mustafa, interview, 5 February 2021;
Syria expert at the European Institute of Peace (EIP), Zoom interview, 1 April 2021
171 Jusoor for Studies, e-mail correspondence, 12 April 2021
172 International Crisis Group, Easing Syrian Refugees’ Plight in Lebanon, 13 February 2020, url, p. 16
173 Syria expert at the European Institute of Peace (EIP), Zoom interview, 1 April 2021
174 Jusoor for Studies, e-mail correspondence, 12 April 2021; Urnammu for Justice and Human Rights, e-mailcorrespondence, 12 April 2021
175 Alternatively spelled as ‘Mazen al-Hummada’ and ‘Mazen Hamada’.
176 SHRC, Re-arrest of Former Detainee Mazen al-Hamada, 24 February 2020, url; Trouw, Syrische activist verdwijnt uit
Nederland, vrienden vrezen dat hij is ontvoerd door het regime van Assad, 2 March 2020, url; Washington Post (The), He
Told the World About His Brutal Torture in Syria, Then, Mysteriously, He Went Back, 4 March 2021, url; Jusoor for Studies,e-mail correspondence, 12 April 2021
177 SHRC, Re-arrest of Former Detainee Mazen al-Hamada, 24 February 2020, url; Trouw, Syrische activist verdwijnt uit
Nederland, vrienden vrezen dat hij is ontvoerd door het regime van Assad, 2 March 2020, url; Washington Post (The), He
Told the World About His Brutal Torture in Syria, Then, Mysteriously, He Went Back, 4 March 2021, url
178 Jusoor for Studies, e-mail correspondence, 12 April 2021

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Country of origin information report | Syria: Situation of returnees from abroad

Annex I: Bibliography
Oral sources, including anonymous sources
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

•

•

A Legal and Human Rights Adviser at the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC). SJAC
is an NGO seeking to promote justice and accountability in Syria by documenting human rights
violations. For more information about SJAC, please visit: url
A Syria expert at the European Institute of Peace (EIP). The EIP is an independent, non-profit
organisation involved in designing and delivering sustainable peace processes andagreements. For more information about the EIP, please visit: url
A Syrian Migration Expert. The source preferred anonymity for the sake of discretion.
An Advocacy Officer at the Jordanian INGO Forum (JIF). The JIF is an independent network of
59 INGOs, aiding vulnerable groups living in Jordan. The JIF is based in Amman, the capital of
Jordan. For more information, please visit: url
An anonymous source. The source preferred anonymity for the sake of discretion andorganisational safety.
An international organisation working in Lebanon. The source preferred anonymity for thesake of discretion and organisational safety.
An international humanitarian organisation working in Syria. The source preferred anonymity
for the sake of discretion, personal and organisational safety.
Employees of an implementing agency of the Netherlands Ministry of Justice and Security.
These sources preferred anonymity for the sake of discretion.
Hiran Ali, a project manager at Solid Road. Solid Road is a Dutch NGO supporting (former)
asylum seekers and people without residence permits to return voluntarily from theNetherlands to their country of origin. For more information about Solid Road, please visit: url
Jusoor for Studies, an independent institution specialised in conducting research on Syrian
political and social affairs in particular and the Middle East region in general. For more
information about Jusoor for Studies, please visit: urlNawar Shaban and Muhsen al Mustafa, a Military Expert and Research Assistant respectively
at Omran Center for Strategic Studies (also known as ‘Omran Dirasat’). The Omran Center for
Strategic Studies is a research institute that focuses on Syrian affairs in political, local
administration and development sector. For more information about the Omran Center,please visit: url
Suhail Al-Ghazi, a Non-Resident Fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP).
TIMEP is a non-profit organisation centering on bringing localised perspectives in the policy
discourse in order to foster transparent, accountable and just societies in the Middle East andNorth Africa (MENA) region. For more information about TIMEP, please visit: url
Urnammu for Justice and Human Rights, an NGO documenting and addressing human rights
violations in Syria. For more information about Urnammu for Justice and Human Rights, please
visit: url

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Country of origin information report | Syria: Situation of returnees from abroad

Public sources
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Istanbul and Beirut (17-25 February 2020), May 2020,
https://coi.easo.europa.eu/administration/denmark/PLib/Report_Syria_Military_Service_may_2020.pdf, accessed 30 April 2021

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Country of origin information report | Syria: Situation of returnees from abroad

DIS (Danish Immigration Service), Syria, Security Clearance and Status Settlement for Returnees,
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Annex II: Terms of Reference
The report should focus on the general situation of returnees from abroad (with a focus on returnees
from Europe, Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan) in terms of procedures, prevalence and treatment upon
return in government-held Syria.
❑ Returnees from abroad (focus on returnees from Europe, Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan)▪ Overview of the pattern of return, number of returnees, location of return▪ Consequences of illegal exit and/or applying for asylum abroad▪ Return policy and practice▪ Potential obstacles towards return (access limitations to areas of return, civil
documentation and HLP rights)▪ Treatment upon return by state authorities and affiliated actors

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doi: 10.2847/980660

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