In one of SACD’s surveys, two-thirds of the interviewees stated they live in constant fear of arrest or harassment from the security services and various militias that run a maze of checkpoints—particularly those in or from areas under “reconciliation agreements.” Militias rely on a network of informants to identify returnees and those who accept “reconciliation agreements” for targeting. People are stopped, harassed, threatened, and arrested by these groups to extort money on the spot or from their families.

Corruption and extortion by the regime and militias permeate every aspect of life for returnees. Interviewees reported having to pay bribes to carry out the most menial of activities, such as obtaining documents or transporting produce to the market. Almost all industrial and other economic activity in these areas has ceased, so farming is often the sole source of income. The regime is exploiting this situation by enforcing a ban on the transfer of goods and products beyond local areas under “reconciliation agreements”, which forces returnees to sell their produce to the pro-regime monopolists.  

Two-thirds of the returnees have lost their former source of income and are now unemployed or engaged in manual, temporary work that cannot provide a basic standard of living for their families.  

According to the same survey, 48 per cent of the participants stated that they or their family members were wanted by the regime security branches for reasons related to anti-regime civilian activities, even including anti- regime sentiments.  

72 per cent of the returnees who were arrested were covered by the regime’s alleged pardon decree No. 13 and/or entered into personal settlements after remaining in these areas after reconciliation agreements.

55 per cent of returnees were forced to move, compared with 45 per cent of residents who never left. 

 61 per cent of respondents reported suffering at least one form of harassment such as threats to be detained, accusations of treason and destroying the country, in addition to verbal and sexual harassment for women on regime check points. These adverse practices seem to target residents and returnees differently.

SACD’s research has shown that about 50% of people in Assad-controlled areas reported that they do not feel safe, including those who have never left. 67% of returnees from outside Syria do not feel safe. Safe, and those who live in reconciliation areas are the worst off, as 94% say they do not feel safe. 61% reported suffering at least one form of harassment as threatening to be detained, accusations of treason, and destroying the country, in addition to verbal and sexual harassment of women in regime checkpoints.