On June 20, the international community observes World Refugee Day, a most appropriate occasion for the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) to remind the world that violations, first and foremost by the Syrian regime and secondly by other parties to the conflict, are the cause behind the displacement of half of Syria’s population, either as internally displaced persons (IDPs) or refugees. Meanwhile, tens of thousands more Syrians still in areas under regime control are seeking asylum as the violations continue, even as some states restore relations with the very same party responsible for these violations, eradicating any hope among the displaced of a return to Syria in the foreseeable future. The total current number of Syrian refugees is estimated at 6.8 million people, making them the world’s largest refugee population.
Syria has borne witness to incomprehensible levels of violence against civilians by the various parties to the conflict and controlling forces in Syria, but first and foremost by the Syrian regime, in every part of the country, generating a constant and profound sense of fear and panic in the hearts of Syrians, that has driven them en masse to seek safety elsewhere, especially after the indiscriminate bombardment, most notably by Syrian-Russian alliance forces, partially or completely destroyed most of Syria’s villages, towns and cities, to the point that many have become uninhabitable. Meanwhile, the continuing security crackdowns by the Syrian regime’s various and far-reaching security apparatuses against Syrian dissidents have played a large role in displacing thousands more Syrians to other areas. Additionally, the siege and blockade policy enforced by the Syrian-Russian alliance forces in many areas was followed by coercive settlement agreements that resulted in the forced deportation of thousands of other people from their homes. In fact, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic (COI) has concluded that there are grounds to believe that pro-regime forces may have committed a crime against humanity in the form of forced displacement.
Furthermore, the ongoing violations by the various parties to the conflict and controlling forces in Syria are the primary cause for more and more refugees fleeing. While It may be true that the rate of violations has fallen somewhat in the past two years, the cumulative effect of 12 years and counting of violations has brought about a Syria with an atrocious human rights situation, riven by killings, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, forced displacement, torture, pillaging of land and properties, and a widespread state of chronic insecurity under which assassinations and remote bombings have become prevalent, with these and many other violations combining to cause upheaval across Syria. In light of these violations that threaten the very fundamental tenets of human rights and human dignity, with no foreseeable end to this suffering or any feasible way to hold their perpetrators accountable, hundreds of Syrians are trying to sell their properties, flee their country, and seek asylum in nations worldwide.
Moreover, due to the dire situation facing refugees in neighboring host countries, especially Lebanon and Turkey, we have documented continued illegal and life-threatening migration attempts by refugees in these nations to cross into EU countries, either via land from Turkey, or via the Mediterranean Sea from Turkey, Lebanon, or the Maghreb countries. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported on October 25, 2022, that the Missing Migrants Project has documented no fewer than 5,684 deaths on immigration routes to and within Europe since the beginning of 2021, with Syrians as a leading nationality on the lists of the identified victims.
Since Wednesday, June 14, SNHR has recorded, as of this writing, the death of no fewer than 37 Syrians, including seven women, who were mostly from Daraa governorate. The victims drowned to death after a fishing boat, which was carrying them along other asylum seekers from different nationalities including Egyptians, Palestinians, and Pakistanis, capsized and sank on June 14, 2023, south of Greece, approximately 47 nautical miles of the coasts of Pylos. The vessel, which carried 700-750 asylum seekers, including women and children, according to estimates, launched off the Libyan coasts towards Europe on the morning of Friday, June 9, 2023. As of this writing, the Greek authorities revealed it has saved only 104 people and retrieved 80 dead bodies for victims who have drowned to death, while around 500 others are still missing. We are deeply concerned that all of them may have died almost one week after the boat had sank. According to a joint statement by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the IOM, the boat sent out its first distress call on the morning of Tuesday, June 13, while the Greek Coast Guard announced it launched a wide search and rescue operation on the morning of June 14 after the boat had sank. The IOM and the UNHCR also stressed that search and rescue at sea is a “legal and humanitarian imperative.”
On June 19, BBC Arabic published a report saying that suggests that the overcrowded fishing boat did not move for seven hours at least before capsizing, judging by analyzing the movement of the other ships in the area. However, the Greek Coast Guard is claiming that in those seven hours the boat was on its way to Italy and there was no need for rescue. Meanwhile, Flavio Di Giacomo, the Spokesperson of the Coordination Office for the Mediterranean of the IOM, stressed in a tweet that all boats carrying must be considered “boats in distress” and must be rescued immediately with no delay even when they appear to be having no problems, because they can sink in just a few minutes.
SNHR condemns the slow response to the distress call. We call on the Greek government and the UNHCR to launch an investigation into this incident and make its findings available to the public and the families of the victims, hold those responsible accountable, and compensate the victims.
Source: reliefweb
