Latest news with #RuxandraStaicu
The National
4 hours ago
- Politics
- The National
Austria to deport convict to Syria in first for EU since Assad's fall
Austria is preparing to deport a Syrian man whose asylum status was revoked due to a criminal conviction, in what is thought to be Europe's first forced deportation to Syria since the fall of President Bashar Al Assad. Rights groups are concerned that Austria's plan could set a precedent, encouraging other EU member states to follow suit amid rising anti-migration sentiment across the 27-nation bloc. The 32-year-old man, who was granted asylum in Austria in 2014, lost his refugee status in February 2019 because of his criminal record, his legal adviser Ruxandra Staicu said. She declined to specify the nature of his conviction. The Austrian Interior Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Deportation to Syria was not possible during the country's civil war as it was considered unsafe. The Austrian government argues that Al Assad's fall means the situation has changed and it has begun proceedings to strip some refugees of their status, although rights groups say it is premature to do so. Austrian and Syrian authorities agreed for the man to be deported last week, but the closure of airspace due to the Iran-Israel conflict delayed the process, Ms Staicu and a western diplomat said. The diplomat, who requested anonymity, added that the deportation would now go ahead once the airspace reopened. Since 2015, European countries have received about 1.68 million asylum applications from Syrian nationals. Some governments, most notably Germany, initially welcomed them warmly as civil war ravaged their homeland. But rising public concern over the scale of immigration has fuelled support for far-right, anti-migrant parties. With the fall of Al Assad last December, many EU governments were quick to suspend the processing of Syrian asylum applications, and some have called for the security situation in Syria to be reassessed to enable deportations to resume. In Austria, former Chancellor Karl Nehammer, from the ruling Austrian People's Party (OVP), is among those calling for such a reassessment, amid pressure from the far-right Freedom Party. Some rights groups and lawyers say it is still too dangerous to begin returning people to Syria. 'There are attacks against people and we have no idea in which direction [Syria] will go,' said Ms Staicu, adding that her client's deportation would violate the European Convention on Human Rights that prohibits torture and inhumane treatment. The UN refugee agency told Reuters: 'Syrians … must not be forcibly returned from any country, including those in the European Union, to any part of Syria' due to the overall situation there. Rights groups cite attacks against minorities since Al Assad's fall. Syria also remains in the grip of a severe humanitarian crisis, with 90 per cent of the population living below the poverty line, according to UN estimates. Ms Staicu said her client had received a negative asylum decision in April. He has filed another asylum application and is awaiting a response.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Austria deports first Syrian since civil war, says more will follow
By Francois Murphy VIENNA (Reuters) -Austria's conservative-led government said on Thursday it had carried out its first deportation of a Syrian back to their home country in almost 15 years, making it the first European Union country to do so since the outbreak of Syria's civil war. The unnamed Syrian man had been convicted of an unspecified crime in November 2018, given a seven-year sentence and stripped of his refugee status, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said, adding that he could not go into specifics. The Syrian man's legal adviser, Ruxandra Staicu, declined to specify the nature of his conviction but said he was 32. "A Syrian criminal was deported from Austria to Syria today, specifically to Damascus," Karner told reporters, pledging that more would follow soon. "I believe it is an extremely important signal that Austria is pursuing a tough, strict, forceful but fair asylum policy in that those who endanger others, criminals, will be removed from the country," he added. While EU member states including Austria and Germany have been keen to strike agreements with Syria's new Islamist-led government to enable deportations, rights groups have said it is too early to tell how the security situation will evolve and whether it is truly safe to deport people there. Rights groups are concerned that Austria's move will create a precedent, encouraging other EU member states to deport Syrians amid rising anti-migration sentiment across the bloc. "There is no reliable information on how the new regime will treat the returnee. In this volatile situation, it is irresponsible to conduct a deportation simply for PR reasons," said Lukas Gahleitner-Gertz, a lawyer and spokesperson for Asylum Coordination Austria, a platform of Austrian NGOs. TOUGH STANCE Austria's three-party ruling coalition has made a tough stance on immigration one of its hallmarks as it seeks to erode support for the far-right Freedom Party, which came first in September's parliamentary election with an even harder line on what has long been a prominent issue in national politics. Within days of President Bashar al-Assad's fall from power in December, Austria's previous government, led by the same conservative People's Party in power now, suspended the processing of Syrians' asylum claims and said it would work towards repatriating Syrians already in the country. Syrians are the top nationality among asylum seekers and refugees in Austria since 2015, Interior Ministry data show. Austrian law allows the authorities to revoke a refugee's status in some cases within five years of it being granted. "There will be, and will have to be, other deportations towards Syria. These are also being prepared," Karner said, also mentioning Afghanistan, another country that many refugees and asylum seekers in Austria come from.
Reuters
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Austria set to deport man to Syria, marking first for EU since Assad's fall
BRUSSELS/PARIS, July 2 (Reuters) - Austria is preparing to deport a Syrian man whose asylum status was revoked due to a criminal conviction, in what an EU official and rights groups say will be Europe's first forced deportation to Syria since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad. Rights groups are concerned that Austria's plan could set a precedent, encouraging other European Union member states to follow suit amid rising anti-migration sentiment across the 27-nation bloc. The 32-year-old man, who was granted asylum in Austria in 2014, lost his refugee status in February 2019 because of his criminal record, his legal adviser Ruxandra Staicu said. She declined to specify the nature of his conviction. The Austrian Interior Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Deportation to Syria was not possible during the country's civil war as it was considered unsafe. The Austrian government argues that Assad's fall means the situation has changed and it has begun proceedings to strip some refugees of their status, though rights groups say it is premature to do so. Austrian and Syrian authorities agreed for the man to be deported last week, but the closure of airspace due to the Iran-Israel conflict delayed the process, Staicu and a Western diplomat said. The diplomat, who requested anonymity, added that the deportation would now go ahead once the airspace reopened. Since 2015, European countries have received around 1.68 million asylum applications from Syrian nationals. Some governments, most notably Germany, initially welcomed them warmly as civil war ravaged their homeland. But rising public concern over the scale of immigration has fueled support for far-right, anti-migrant parties. With the fall of Assad last December, many EU governments were quick to suspend the processing of Syrian asylum applications, and some have called for the security situation in Syria to be reassessed to enable deportations to resume. In Austria, former Chancellor Karl Nehammer, from the ruling Austrian People's Party (OVP), is among those calling for such a reassessment, amid pressure from the far-right Freedom Party. Some rights groups and lawyers say it is still too dangerous to begin returning people to Syria. "... there are attacks against people and we have no idea in which direction (Syria) will go," said Staicu, adding that her client's deportation would violate the European Convention on Human Rights that prohibits torture and inhumane treatment. The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) told Reuters: "Syrians... must not be forcibly returned from any country, including those in the European Union, to any part of Syria" due to the overall situation there. Rights groups cite attacks against minorities since Assad's fall. Syria also remains in the grip of a severe humanitarian crisis, with 90% of the population living below the poverty line, according to UN estimates. Staicu said her client had received a negative asylum decision in April. He has filed another asylum application and is awaiting a response.
Straits Times
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Austria deports first Syrian since civil war, says more will follow
VIENNA - Austria's conservative-led government said on Thursday it had carried out its first deportation of a Syrian back to their home country in almost 15 years, making it the first European Union country to do so since the outbreak of Syria's civil war. The unnamed Syrian man had been convicted of an unspecified crime in November 2018, given a seven-year sentence and stripped of his refugee status, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said, adding that he could not go into specifics. The Syrian man's legal adviser, Ruxandra Staicu, declined to specify the nature of his conviction but said he was 32. "A Syrian criminal was deported from Austria to Syria today, specifically to Damascus," Karner told reporters, pledging that more would follow soon. "I believe it is an extremely important signal that Austria is pursuing a tough, strict, forceful but fair asylum policy in that those who endanger others, criminals, will be removed from the country," he added. While EU member states including Austria and Germany have been keen to strike agreements with Syria's new Islamist-led government to enable deportations, rights groups have said it is too early to tell how the security situation will evolve and whether it is truly safe to deport people there. Rights groups are concerned that Austria's move will create a precedent, encouraging other EU member states to deport Syrians amid rising anti-migration sentiment across the bloc. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore 193ha of land off Changi to be reclaimed for aviation park; area reduced to save seagrass meadow Business More Singapore residents met CPF Required Retirement Sum when they turned 55 in 2024 Singapore PAP questions Pritam's interview with Malaysian podcast, WP says PAP opposing for the sake of opposing Singapore 1 in 4 appeals to waive HDB wait-out period for private home owners approved since Sept 2022 Sport A true fans' player – Liverpool fans in Singapore pay tribute to the late Diogo Jota Singapore Healthcare facility planned for site of Ang Mo Kio Public Library after it moves to AMK Hub Singapore $500 in Child LifeSG credits, Edusave, Post-Sec Education Account top-ups to be disbursed in July Business 60 S'pore firms to get AI boost from Tata Consultancy as it launches new innovation centre here "There is no reliable information on how the new regime will treat the returnee. In this volatile situation, it is irresponsible to conduct a deportation simply for PR reasons," said Lukas Gahleitner-Gertz, a lawyer and spokesperson for Asylum Coordination Austria, a platform of Austrian NGOs. TOUGH STANCE Austria's three-party ruling coalition has made a tough stance on immigration one of its hallmarks as it seeks to erode support for the far-right Freedom Party, which came first in September's parliamentary election with an even harder line on what has long been a prominent issue in national politics. Within days of President Bashar al-Assad's fall from power in December, Austria's previous government, led by the same conservative People's Party in power now, suspended the processing of Syrians' asylum claims and said it would work towards repatriating Syrians already in the country. Syrians are the top nationality among asylum seekers and refugees in Austria since 2015, Interior Ministry data show. Austrian law allows the authorities to revoke a refugee's status in some cases within five years of it being granted. "There will be, and will have to be, other deportations towards Syria. These are also being prepared," Karner said, also mentioning Afghanistan, another country that many refugees and asylum seekers in Austria come from. REUTERS
Arab News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Austria set to deport Syrian, marking first for EU since Assad's fall
BRUSSELS/PARIS: Austria is preparing to deport a Syrian man whose asylum status was revoked due to a criminal conviction, in what an EU official and rights groups say will be Europe's first forced deportation to Syria since the fall of President Bashar Assad. Rights groups are concerned that Austria's plan could set a precedent, encouraging other EU member states to follow suit amid rising anti-migration sentiment across the 27-nation bloc. The 32-year-old man, who was granted asylum in Austria in 2014, lost his refugee status in February 2019 because of his criminal record, his legal adviser Ruxandra Staicu said. She refused to specify the nature of his conviction. Deportation to Syria was not possible during the country's civil war as it was considered unsafe. The Austrian government argues that Assad's fall means the situation has changed and it has begun proceedings to strip some refugees of their status. Austrian and Syrian authorities agreed for the man to be deported last week, but the closure of airspace due to the Iran-Israel conflict delayed the process, Staicu and a Western diplomat said. The diplomat added that the deportation would now go ahead once the airspace reopened. Since 2015, European countries have received around 1.68 million asylum applications from Syrian nationals. Some governments, most notably Germany, initially welcomed them warmly as civil war ravaged their homeland. But rising public concern over the scale of immigration has fueled support for far-right, anti-migrant parties. With the fall of Assad last December, many EU governments were quick to suspend the processing of Syrian asylum applications, and some have called for the security situation in Syria to be reassessed to enable deportations to resume. In Austria, former Chancellor Karl Nehammer, from the ruling Austrian People's Party, is among those calling for such a reassessment, amid pressure from the far-right Freedom Party.
