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Austria deports first Syrian since civil war, says more will follow
- Austria deported a 32-year-old Syrian criminal convict back to Damascus on Thursday, marking the first such deportation in about 15 years.
- The deportation followed an agreement between Austrian and Syrian authorities last week, after Austria had suspended Syrian asylum applications since Assad's ouster.
- Interior Minister Gerhard Karner described the deportation as part of a strict but fair asylum policy and confirmed that further deportations to Syria will occur.
- Karner described today's deportation as an element of Austria's firm yet just approach to asylum, while opponents caution that Syria's unstable conditions make such returns unsafe.
- This move sets a precedent within the EU, potentially encouraging other countries amid rising anti-migration sentiment, although rights groups and the UN oppose forced returns to Syria.
33 Articles
33 Articles
For a long time no one from Austria was sent back to the civil war country Syria. After the fall of Assad, the situation has changed, but remains fragile. Nevertheless, Austria is now returning a criminal.
Austria deports first Syrian since start of civil war
The Austrian Interior Ministry on Thursday said it had carried out its first deportation of a Syrian to Syria since the start of that country's civil war more than 15 years ago. The deported 32-year-old man was flown to Damascus via Istanbul. Though his name was not given, nor his specific crime cited, Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said the man had been convicted in November 2018 at which time he was stripped of his refugee status. "…
A 32-year-old Syrian, who arrived in Austria in 2013 and was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2018, was expelled on Thursday to his country of origin. NGOs supporting refugees fear that this expulsion, the first to Syria since the fall of Bashar Al-Assad, will encourage other European Union countries to do the same.
Austrian authorities on Thursday deported a convicted Syrian war criminal, becoming the first EU member state to send a criminal back to Syria since the overthrow of dictator Bashar al-Assad.
Austria has deported a convicted Syrian citizen back to Syria for the first time in 15 years, becoming the first European Union country to do so since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war.
According to the minister, the deported Syrian was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2018, when his asylum status was also revoked.
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