IDLIB — The primary flight bringing Syrian migrants home arrived from Belarus Dec. 8, elevating considerations about their destiny in gentle of data that a few of them had been investigated at Damascus Worldwide Airport.
In response to experiences, the Syrian regime’s intelligence providers interrogated some returning migrants and requested they get again to the authorities just a few days later for additional investigation. Additionally, their journey paperwork had been seized.
Almost 100 Syrians who had been stranded on the Belarus-Poland border took the flight that was operated by Cham Wings Airways after authorities in Belarus determined to deport all would-be refugees who sought to cross into Poland.
Russia’s Novaya Gazeta reported that the Belarusian armed forces informed Syrian migrants stranded on the border with Poland that they wanted to cross the border into Europe inside three days or be deported to Damascus. The report said that there have been 54 migrants from the Idlib governorate, which meant that their lives can be at risk in the event that they had been returned to areas managed by Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
The report indicated that Belarusian safety forces are conscious the regime doesn’t welcome the return of Syrians who fled to Europe and considers them its enemies. It confused that “everybody understands that these individuals can’t return house. They may both be imprisoned or die there.”
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is accused of intentionally igniting a brand new refugee disaster in Europe, and the EU blames Lukashenko for the escalation on the Polish-Belarus border. Poland and different EU international locations accuse the Belarusian leadership of luring individuals aspiring to journey to the EU and bringing them to the border in an effort to retaliate towards the newest EU sanctions towards the nation.
On this vein, Mohamad Jaber, a 28-year-old Syrian nationwide who at present resides in Germany, informed Al-Monitor, “I used to be in Jordan and affected by a really tough monetary scenario. I heard that Belarus opened its borders [for entry to] Europe, so I contacted smuggling networks, most of which reside in Turkey, and we agreed that I’d pay them 4,000 euros for a visa, a flight ticket to Minsk and a lodge reservation for every week. Ten days later, I used to be granted the visa, traveled to Belarus and stayed at a lodge in Minsk. Then, the smuggler took me to the border with Poland. The border was not as closely guarded as now and I stayed two nights on the border. I attempted [to cross], however the Polish border guards returned me to Belarus. Then I attempted once more and managed to enter Poland after strolling 15 kilometers. I took a automotive heading to Germany. Once I bought there I used to be acknowledged as a refugee.”
Abdel Aziz Issa, a 30-year-old Syrian residing in Turkey, informed Al-Monitor, “I used to be a sufferer of a rip-off and misplaced about 2,000 euros. I contacted a smuggler who requested for two,000 euros in alternate for a visa to Belarus, a lodge reserving and flight ticket. He requested me to switch the quantity to Istanbul and to pay him one other 2,000 at a later stage. I known as him on WhatsApp however he blocked my quantity. He additionally modified his cellphone quantity. That is once I realized that I had fallen sufferer to a rip-off.”
Mohamed Hajj, a 28-year-old Syrian residing in Turkey, informed Al-Monitor, “I arrived in Belarus in early November and headed to the Polish border the place the situations had been tragic. The temperature was beneath zero, and the Polish border guards prevented us [from entering]. We needed to return to Belarus the place the military prevented us from returning to the depths of Belarusian territory. We bought confused between the 2. We lacked meals and clear water. I went by tough days, and I watched Syrian and Iraqi households with their youngsters. It was heartbreaking. After a number of makes an attempt, I didn’t handle to cross the border into Poland, so I made a decision to return to Istanbul. After main efforts, I managed to return. And my return with the smugglers’ assist was very costly as nicely. It’s because neither the Belarusian authorities nor the Turkish ones assist you to return. However I managed to reach [to Turkey] illegally. However by no means once more!”
Khalil Miqdad, a Qatar-based Syrian researcher, informed Al-Monitor, “Belarus and President Lukashenko are liable for the massive improve within the variety of unlawful migrants crossing the Belarusian border. Lukashenko, by opening his borders to migrants, is making an attempt to avenge the sanctions that the EU imposed on June 24 on his regime. Confrontations erupted between Polish safety forces and asylum seekers who tried to cross the Poland-Belarus border. The EU and america warned that new sanctions can be imposed on Minsk amid different efforts to defuse the disaster.”
Miqdad added, “In response to eyewitnesses, Belarusian officers are those dealing with the smuggling operation from Belarus to Lithuania, which threatened to open its borders towards Western Europe. Germany is the ultimate vacation spot for migrants as a result of Lithuania can’t host greater than 5,000. The growing variety of migrants arriving in Europe by Belarus and Lithuania has coincided with a marketing campaign of demonization and accusations of terrorism focusing on the refugees.”
He confused that the deportation of Syrian refugees to Syria includes many dangers, primarily the killing and imprisonment of oppositionists, along with extortion. It’s price mentioning that there are quite a lot of Afghans, Iraqis, Africans and different nationalities among the many refugees.
Miqdad mentioned that Europe’s efforts targeted on offering humanitarian help by establishing camps to offer shelter, meals and medical help. There are additionally considerations a few new inflow of refugees.
He mentioned that each one events try to spend money on the refugee disaster to realize political and materials positive aspects and to embarrass one another, as is the case between Russia and Belarus on the one hand and Poland and the EU then again. Belarus can’t decide of its personal and is subordinate to Russia, which suggests it’s an ally of the Assad regime and won’t hesitate handy over its oppositionists.
Istanbul-based Syrian journalist Qutayba Yassin informed Al-Monitor, “Belarus is a dictatorship like all pro-Russia international locations. It exploited the refugees in a unclean means — by facilitating the grant of entry visas for nationals of nations who’re normally denied visas reminiscent of Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Yemen — and gathered refugees on the border to threaten the EU. That was perceived as blackmail by the EU, and for this reason it prevented the entry of refugees. Had Europe yielded, Belarus would have succeeded in blackmailing Europe and having it resign to the established order.”
