Syrian refugees subjected to violations by Syrian security apparatus, according to Human Rights Watch researcher

DARAMSUQ, Syria — The ongoing human rights violations committed by the Syrian regime’s security apparatus remain one of the most important obstacles for displaced Syrians to return to their homeland. Instances of arrest and torture have been recorded targeting Syrians who have voluntarily returned to the country.

An article published in the U.S. magazine Newsweek by Human Rights Watch (HRW) researcher Nadia Hardman confirmed that the Syrian regime is continuing its inhumane practices against the Syrian people with impunity.

In her article, Hardman published testimonies of some Syrian refugees who recently returned voluntarily to their country and were subjected to violations and torture in various forms.

She criticized the Danish government’s description of areas in Syria under regime control as “safe”, a designation which has pushed some Syrian refugees to return only to be subjected to terrible violations.

Hardman details the story of a youth from Druco (Daraa) whose leg was amputated due to the regime’s aerial bombardment. Afterwards, he fled to Jordan, only recently returning home. Upon his return, regime authorities asked him to visit their headquarters in order to exempt him from military service. He went to the intelligence branches in Daramsuq (Damascus) where he disappeared and was subjected to various forms of torture.

In a report issued last month, HRW confirmed that Syrian refugees returning to their country from Lebanon and Jordan have been subjected to major human rights violations at the hands of the Syrian regime and its allies.