Udenrigsudvalget 2021-22
URU Alm.del Bilag 142
Offentligt
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Dangerous precedent with far-reaching impact:
How Denmark’s withdrawal of protection
affects Syrian refugees in Denmark and abroad
Press conference,
10 March 2022, 10:00-12:00,
Vartov, Store Sal, Farvergade 27, 1463 København
Participants:
Nadia Hardman,
Human Rights Watch
Lisa Blinkenberg,
Amnesty International
Nadine Kheshen,
Alef Lebanon, Refugee Protection Watch
Haya Atassi,
Syrian Association for Citizens' Dignity
Michala Clante Bendixen,
Refugees Welcome
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Denmark’s decision to withdraw protection for Syrian refugees from Damascus and Damascus
countryside creates attention in many countries hosting Syrian refugees, and there is a risk that it
may inspire other countries to follow.
This press conference will discuss the recent reports documenting the harsh reality in Syria to which
refugees are supposed to return, the condemnations of the Danish Immigration Service’s report by
experts who provided information for it and the implications of the policy for other countries
hosting Syrian refugees, such as Lebanon, and the possible long-term consequences of premature
return, including further displacement of even larger numbers of Syrians.
We will also shed a light on how the Danish decisions were influenced by the country's political
agenda, and the impact of the government’s policy on the lives of Syrian refugees in Denmark.
We urge the Danish government to change its policy, as it is in direct conflict with the official
position of the European Commission and the UNHCR’s protection thresholds, which need to be
met before Syrians can return in safety and dignity.
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 URU, Alm.del - 2021-22 - Bilag 142: Invitation fra Amnesty International til konference om Syrien den 10. marts 2022
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The policy serves as a dangerous precedent for other European countries, but, even more
dangerously, for countries like Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey, which host large numbers of Syrian
refugees and where increasing number of politicians are calling for a premature and, in some cases,
even forced return of Syrians. At the same time, there is overwhelming evidence that Syria is not
safe for return and that returnees face detention, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearance,
torture and extortion.
The assessments made by the Danish Refugee Appeals Board (RAB) have clearly failed to consider
the real threat facing refugees if they were to return. The report from Danish Immigration Service
on which the decisions were based was ultimately disowned by the majority of sources used for the
assessment; they failed to seriously take into account credible information from Syrian and
international organisations about the threats facing returnees.
The research conducted for this press conference showed that all the vast majority of experts
interviewed for the report claimed that its assessment is contrary to the information they provided
and that they would not cooperate with Danish Immigration Service in the same way again, as it
looks into other areas of Syria.
Furthermore, the decision to withdraw protection from Syrian refugees runs counter to Denmark’s
own foreign policy relating to Syria, regarding the dangerous nature of the security state and the
need for accountability and justice for those detained in Syria prisons, as illustrated by the
statement of the Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeppe Kofod:
“Long term stability requires a
negotiated end to the conflict. It requires the regime to change its behaviour. The abuses the Syrian
people rose up against are continuing. This must stop now.”
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The working language of the event will be English, and online streaming will be available.
Attending the conference is free of charge, but registration is necessary. Please write to:
[email protected] and tell us if you want to attend physically or have us send you a link to the
streaming.
Relevant reports and documents are available here: refugeeswelcome.dk/syria
For more information, please contact:
Refik Hodzic/SACD, [email protected], +38 7280424
Michala Clante Bendixen/Refugees Welcome Denmark, [email protected], +45 5020 0069