Amnesty report says Syrian refugees return to torture, rape
The report documented human rights violations carried out by Syrian intelligence officers against 66 Syrians who returned to the war-torn country, including 13 children.
Syrian refugees who return home risk detention, disappearance and torture at the hands of state security forces, Amnesty International said in a report Tuesday, calling on host countries to ensure Syrians are protected from deportation.
The London-based rights group documented human rights violations by Syrian intelligence officers carried out against 66 Syrians, including 13 children. Among them, Amnesty recorded five deaths in custody and 17 cases of returnees being forcibly disappeared.
“Military hostilities may have subsided, but the Syrian government’s propensity for egregious human rights violations has not,” said Marie Forestier, a researcher on refugee and migrants rights at Amnesty International.
The report says nowhere in Syria is safe for refugees to return. The government regularly accuses those who do travel back of treason or supporting terrorism and in some cases, returnees are targeted for simply having lived in opposition-controlled areas.
