Syria: Status of Shia Muslims from Iraq; whether they have been granted citizenship, rights of a national (rights which are akin to but not equal to citizenship), or a collection of rights (i.e. right to employment, right to freedom of movement, right to social services)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 11 July 2001 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | SYR37489.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Syria: Status of Shia Muslims from Iraq; whether they have been granted citizenship, rights of a national (rights which are akin to but not equal to citizenship), or a collection of rights (i.e. right to employment, right to freedom of movement, right to social services) , 11 July 2001, SYR37489.E , available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3df4beae24.html [accessed 2 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
A spokeperson of the Syrian embassy in Ottawa stated during a telephone interview with the Research Directorate that Shia Muslims from Iraq are not treated differently in Syria than any other Iraqi nationals. He stated that Arabs in Syria have almost the same rights as Syrian citizens, which are rights to employment, freedom of movement, education and health services (9 July 2001).
The US Committee for Refugees provides the following information on the status of non-Palestinian and Iraqi refugees in Syria:
Syria is neither a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention nor the 1967 Protocol. Therefore, non-Palestinian asylum seekers and refugees continued to register with UNHCR for assistance and protection during 2000. While citizens of Arab countries may enter Syria without visas, Iraqi nationals require a security clearance from the Syrian authorities to enter and remain in the country.
At the end of 2000, the Syrian government reportedly was in the process of issuing new restrictions that would limit the stay of Iraqis in Syria to one month. Although it appeared that Syria would not apply this restriction retroactively, the proposed change nevertheless had serious implications for newly arriving Iraqi asylum seekers, for whom it will be impossible to conduct refugee status determination and resettlement interviews within one month.
UNHCR registered 3,113 refugees in Syria in December 2000, mostly from Iraq (1,491 persons). About 300 Iraqis lived in El Hol refugee camp in northeastern Syria ...
Of the 3,689 asylum seekers whose cases were decided on the merits in 2000, UNHCR granted refugee status to 1,058 applicants, or 29 percent of all claimants. Iraqi and Afghan nationals had the highest approval rates (31 percent each), followed by Sudanese (15 percent), and Somalis (12 percent).
Syria does not allow non-Palestinian refugees the right to employment, although it reportedly tolerates the illegal employment of foreign Arabs. Most UNHCR- recognized refugees received limited financial assistance from UNHCR, provided through the Syrian Arab Red Crescent Society and the Women's Association.
The Syrian authorities generally cooperated with UNHCR to ensure that refugees received protection and facilitated UNHCR visits to asylum seekers and refugees in detention. Although there were no reported incidents of refoulement during the year, Syria reportedly forcibly returned an undetermined number of Iraqi refugees to northern Iraq in 1999, who originally had been deported from Lebanon. In previous years, Syria reportedly forcibly returned hundreds of persons with possible claims to refugee status without sufficiently reviewing the potential danger to the deportees. Illegal border crossing reportedly constitutes a deportable offense in Syria.
Although Syria generally tolerates the presence of non-Palestinian refugees, it does not offer them the option of applying for permanent asylum. Thus, UNHCR pursues resettlement for those it recognizes as refugees in Syria (2001).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Embassy of Syria, Ottawa. 9 July 2001. Telephone interview with spokeperson.
US Committee for Refugees. 2001. "Country Report: Syria."
Additional Sources Consulted
IRB Databases
CISNET
One source did not respond to an information request.
Internet sites including:
Amnesty International
Asylumlaw.org
Home Office
Human Rights Watch
UNHCR
US Department of State
Search engines including:
Metacrawler
Fastsearch
