The Minister of Interior in the Syrian regime’s government, Major General Mohammad al-Rahmoun, stated that no Syrian refugee returning to Syria is being detained or arrested, which contradicts reports from human rights organizations documenting cases of arrest.

In response to a question from a journalist regarding the detention of returning Syrians, al-Rahmoun said, “This question has been raised by several international organizations, and the answer was to give us a single name of those who were detained, but these organizations did not provide any name,” according to the local newspaper al-Watan in its issue published this morning, Wednesday, August 28.

This came during the regular meeting of Syrian ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions abroad, which was held by the Syrian regime in Damascus, attended by Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, Interior Minister Major General Mohammad al-Rahmoun, Minister of Water Resources Hussein Makhlouf, and a number of ambassadors.

The Interior Minister’s remarks about not arresting any refugees who returned to Syria contradict human rights reports that talk about arrests of Syrian refugees who returned to their country, some of whom disappeared forcibly, while others died under torture.

The minister pointed out that in past years, search broadcasts were made for dual or triple names, and “since last year, we have confirmed the five-key name – the name, mother’s name, father’s name, surname, and national number, but old dual and triple search broadcasts were canceled, and either the data was completed or the search broadcast was canceled.”

Al-Rahmoun confirmed that no Syrian who has “settled their status” has been detained.

Organizations documenting arrests

On June 20, the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) issued a report on the occasion of World Refugee Day, stating that it documented at least 4,714 cases of arrest of returning refugees and internally displaced persons by Syrian regime forces from the beginning of 2014 until June 2024.

The report noted that of the 4,714 cases of arrest, the regime released only 2,402, while 2,312 individuals remained in detention, and 1,521 of them turned into forcibly disappeared persons.

The report mentioned that the violations still practiced in Syria were the main reason for the escape of millions of Syrians from their country, and the non-return of refugees, and even generating more refugees due to these violations that threaten the essence of human rights and dignity, and the lack of any prospects to stop them or hold those involved accountable.

In August, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) confirmed that it does not encourage voluntary return to Syria on a wide scale at the present time, attributing this to the unfavorable security and economic conditions. It also demanded that all concerned parties provide a suitable environment for the return of Syrian refugees.

The UNHCR said, based on surveys conducted in countries hosting Syrians, that most refugees face obstacles in returning to Syria related to safety and security or legal concerns and the lack of livelihoods.