Egypt authorizes the expulsion of Syrians who cheered Assad’s fall.

Published 9:50 PM ET, Tuesday December 24, 2024

Egypt has ordered the deportation of three Syrians who were imprisoned after participating in public celebrations in Cairo following the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad earlier this month, a rights group claimed on Sunday.

According to the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (Eipr), Egyptian security forces detained approximately 30 Syrian men and women on December 8 and 9 in the city of Sixth of October, west of Cairo, while dispersing a spontaneous gathering commemorating the end of the Assad dynasty’s more than five-decade rule.

Eipr reported on Sunday that three detained Syrians, who are still being held by police, are facing deportation.

According to the group, the arrests began on December 8, shortly after Syrian rebels reported that they had taken control of Damascus and that Assad and his family had fled to Russia.

A crowd gathered outside the Hosary mosque for around 15 minutes before police arrived.

However, in another part of the city’s Second District, police officers arrested 20 Syrians at random after dispersing a jubilant gathering, according to Eipr. All were taken to the Sixth of October Police Station.

According to Eipr, six inmates with residency permits were released the next day, but the remaining detainees, who carried temporary asylum seeker cards (yellow cards), were held in detention.

On 11 December, those holding yellow cards were transferred to the passport and immigration authority in Abbasiya and then returned to the police station, raising concerns about their potential deportation.

Separately, on Monday 9 December, Syrians in the Second District of Sixth of October city briefly celebrated Assad’s departure.

Although no arrests were made during the gathering, police later randomly detained ten Syrians from the streets after identifying their nationality, Eipr said.

The rights group could not confirm whether any formal charges had been brought against them. It said that, although authorities had ordered their release, they have yet to implement their decision.

It added that they had been transferred to the passport and immigration authority for verification of their legal status.

“Eipr condemns the excessive security measures in Egypt, which prevent individuals from expressing their opinions, solidarity, or joy publicly,” the group said, calling on Egypt to immediately release the detained Syrians and refrain from deporting any of them, given the continued uncertainty about safety in Syria. 

“Forced return would expose them to significant risks, as highlighted by the UNHCR, which advises against considering Syria a safe country for refugee returns,” the statement added.

“The Eipr also urges the Public Prosecutor’s Office and law enforcement agencies to adhere to existing laws and Egypt’s commitments under international agreements on the rights of refugees and asylum seekers,” it said.

“These agreements prohibit exposing refugees and asylum seekers to danger, forcibly returning them to their countries of origin, or deporting them to areas where their safety and lives are at risk.”

Syrians constitute half the refugee and asylum-seeking population in Egypt. A total of 136,700 Syrian refugees were registered with UNHCR in Egypt in December 2021.