The Syrian Association for Citizens’ Dignity called upon the United Nations in Syria and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to immediately cease all plans to transfer displaced Syrians from Rukban camp to areas under control of the Syrian regime. While Syrians living in Rukban camp endure extremely harsh living conditions, returning them to areas under Assad control poses serious threats to their lives such as unlawful killings, forced disappearance, arbitrary arrest, extortion and harassment. Our message to the UN and SARC was that they must uphold their responsibility as international institutions not only to provide immediate and urgent relief aid but also to protect lives.  

At the same time, contrary to information provided from the ground by a large number of Syrian and international organizations, the Danish government continued to claim that Damascus and its countryside are safe for Syrian refugees to return.   

 This policy targeting Syrian refugees is based on the incorrect assessment of the Danish Immigration Service (DIS) that “the security situation in Damascus and rural Damascus has improved significantly”, resulting in cancellation of the protection of Syrians originally from Damascus, leaving them with a choice of internment or return to an unsafe Syria.   

The Syrian Association for Citizen’s Dignity has shown in its latest survey report, Normalization of Horror, that areas under Assad control are very far from being a safe. While Denmark’s policy failed to document and relay the real threats facing refugees if they were to return, it is forcing Syrians to make the choice of returning back to an unsafe Damascus. However, safety in Syria cannot be compartmentalized. Nowhere in Syria is safe.  

People think it’s not safe for return, but think return is a necessary for the future for the country and any political settlement. SACD’s latest survey report, Normalization of Horror, has shown that only 26 percent of participants recommended displaced people to come back to regime-controlled areas and approximately half of participants are seeking to leave such areas; there is still an overwhelming belief in the need for displaced people to come back and play a major role in the reconstruction and stabilization of the country. 70 percent of the participants think that the return of the displaced is a prerequisite for Syria’s recovery. 

As if the Syrians’ suffering cannot become worse, the Covid-19 catastrophe happening in Idlib came at a devastating time as the Syrian regime and its allies intensified their attacks, killing and wounding dozens of civilians. The survey report from September found that 58 percent of those infected with the virus did not receive the necessary health care, where respondents indicated that they cannot access appropriate medical care due to high costs and restrictions.