Amnesty
International has come out with a report saying that a number of Syrian
refugees who returned home have either been detained or disappeared. They have
also faced torture at the hands of Syrian security forces.

Amnesty
said that it proves that the war-torn country is not safe to return to while criticizing
Denmark, Sweden, and Turkey, who claim otherwise.

The rights
group documented what it said were violations committed by Syrian intelligence
officers. The report charts out the journey of 66 returnees, including 13
children between mid-2017 and spring 2021. 5 of the 66 died in Syrian custody
after their return, while 17 of them are untraceable, the report titled “You’re going
to your death” said.

Lebanon and
Turkey governments have put increasing pressure on Syrians to return back home.
According to the Associated Press, Turkey has forcibly deported many
Syrians in the last two years.

Denmark and
Sweden have also started revoking the residency permits of some Syrian refugees earlier this year. The countries argue that the Syrian capital, Damascus,
and neighboring regions were now safe.

“Any
government claiming Syria is now safe is willfully ignoring the horrific
reality on the ground, leaving refugees once again fearing for their
lives,” AP quoted Marie Forestier, a researcher on refugee and migrant
rights at Amnesty International, as saying.

Forestier added
the Syrian government continues to commit human rights abuses even as military
hostilities have subsided in most parts of the country

The Syrian
government and Russia have publicly called on refugees to return home and
accused Western countries of discouraging it with claims that Syria is still
unsafe.

In its
report, Amnesty International urged European governments to immediately halt
any practice directly or indirectly forcing people to return home. It also
called on neighboring countries Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan, who host the bulk
of the Syrian refugee population, to protect them from deportation or any other
forcible return, in line with their international obligations.

It said
Syrian authorities in some cases have targeted returnees to Syria simply for
having fled, accusing them of treason or supporting “terrorism.”

The Syrian
government routinely dismisses accusations of human rights abuses as lies.

Syria’s
10-year war has killed about half a million people and forced about 5.6 million
to flee abroad as refugees, mostly to neighboring countries.

(With AP
inputs)