Report: 14M Syrian Refugees at Risk of Losing Homes

Facts

• According to a report from the nonprofit watchdog Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) released on Thursday, as many as 14M Syrian refugees face massive obstacles to returning to their homes as the Syrian state has the authority to lawfully seize land and property.¹
• The report claims the laws in question principally target three groups: 12.3M forcibly displaced persons, 115K forcibly disappeared persons, and 500K victims who have yet to be registered as dead in the civil registry.²
• The Syrian laws, passed in 2012, 2015, and 2018, reportedly targeted opposition strongholds, empowered administrative units to deduct land from private properties outside zoning areas, and allowed the government to re-register property ownership if their proprietors failed to claim their lands.¹
• The findings echo a similar report released in April, which accused the Syrian regime of being part of the forgery and theft process to steal homes and properties of exiled Syrian refugees and reappropriate them to supporters of the government.³
• This comes as increasing pressure is being put on refugees to return to Syria, including from neighboring countries, such as Lebanon, wherein more than a million Syrians have found refuge since the eruption of the civil war 12 years ago.⁴
• The report also comes as Middle Eastern nations are normalizing relations with Syria, which had been diplomatically ostracized. Last week, the Arab League readmitted Syria after more than a decade of suspension.⁵

Sources: ¹Guardian, ²Syrian Network for Human Rights, ³Middle East Monitor, ⁴Al Jazeera, and ⁵BBC News.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Syrian Network for Human Rights. The Syrian regime's cynical use of legal procedures to appropriate land from refugees is appalling and is a significant hurdle for refugees returning home. The regime systematically destroyed opposition areas and has now appropriated the land for development by pro-regime actors. This criminal regime must be held accountable by the international community.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Syrian Arab News Agency. The refugee issue must be dealt with systematically, and one of the first steps to alleviate the suffering of Syrians is the removal of sanctions. How can refugees return to Syria when the government cannot deliver relief or rebuild after 12 years of war? Cooperation with international and regional actors is necessary to solve this issue, and global sanctions are making humanitarian suffering worse.