Denmark claims certain parts of Syria "safe" for return

Between 2020 and April 1, 2021, Denmark revoked or did not renew the residence permits of 380 Syrians, claiming that certain parts of Syria (Damascus and the Rif region) are “safe.” While many of them are waiting for their cases to be decided in appeal, 39 Syrians have already been put in a “return position,” meaning that they are at risk of being returned to Syria.

Amnesty International believes that any return to Syria would be a violation of the international obligation of non-refoulement, which prohibits states from transferring people to a place where they would be at real risk of serious human rights violations. The cessation of hostilities in certain areas of Syria does not mean that people can safely go back. Amnesty International has exhaustively documented the continued human rights violations taking place in Syria, including arbitrary detention, torture, and enforced disappearance.

A man from Syria walks to a police van with his daughter in Denmark after police found them on a train Jan. 6, 2016. Getty