Syrian President Bashar al Assad has expressed his willingness to welcome back refugees who fled the country’s long-running civil war.
In an exclusive interview with Sky News Arabia, he attributed the lack of refugee returns to Syria’s economic situation, citing the negative perception of war in the country as a barrier to international investment.
“In recent years, almost half a million people have returned without facing any harm,” he stated. “However, the economic situation has prevented more from coming back. How can a refugee return without access to electricity, schools for their children, or medical treatment? These are fundamental necessities.”
President Assad clarified that all returning refugees have been granted amnesty, except for those who committed serious crimes.
Bashar al Assad during an interview with Sky News Arabia
However, various human rights groups, including the United Nations, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International, have expressed concerns about the safety of returning refugees, citing reports of human rights abuses and persecution by the Syrian government and affiliated militias.
President Assad acknowledged that US sanctions, known as the Caesar Act, pose a significant obstacle, but emphasized that the destruction caused by terrorists and the perception of war in Syria are the primary barriers to attracting investors.
Bashar al Assad
Syria is grappling with a collapsing currency, inadequate access to electricity, medicine, and essential goods despite support from Russia and Iran.
The Syrian war began in 2011, and it has been ten years since then-President Obama decided not to launch a military intervention following the use of chemical weapons. President Assad has since regained control of the capital, Damascus, and most urban areas.
People clearing cluster munitions in Syria in 2017
The UN estimates that over 300,000 civilians have been killed in the conflict’s first decade. The civil war has also displaced over half of Syria’s 22 million pre-war population and has contributed significantly to the European migrant crisis.
Recently, the governments of Canada and the Netherlands filed torture complaints against Syria in the International Court of Justice, accusing it of the unlawful killing of thousands of civilians.