Syrians left in limbo as minister pauses asylum applications in wake of Assad's removal
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Syrians seeking refuge in Ireland have been left in limbo after Justice Minister Helen McEntee moved to pause asylum applications in the wake of the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime.
The Irish Refugee Council has raised concerns about the decision to temporarily pause decisions on asylum applications from Syrians in recent days, and has sought clarity around the legal basis for doing so.
It comes as Syria's new interim leader announced he is to take charge of the country as caretaker prime minister with the backing of the former rebels who toppled President Bashar al-Assad three days ago.
In a brief address on state television, Mohammed al-Bashir, a figure little known across most of Syria who previously ran an administration in a pocket of the northwest controlled by rebels, said he would lead the interim authority until March 1.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said that the US and Israel were behind the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, and also appeared to point a finger of blame in the direction of Turkey.
In comments reported by Iran’s Tasnim news agency, Khamenei is quoted as saying:
"There should be no doubt that what happened in Syria is the product of a joint American and Zionist plan,"
"Yes, a neighboring government of Syria plays, has played, and is playing an obvious role in this regard - everyone sees this - but the main conspirator, mastermind, and command centre are in America and the Zionist regime,
"We have evidence. This evidence leaves no room for doubt."
As shops and banks began to reopen for the first time since rebels took over control of the country, many areas continue to be targeted by Israeli airstrikes, which have hit military installations and air bases across Syria and destroyed dozens of helicopters and jets.
Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz said he had ordered a "sterile defensive zone" to be created in southern Syria to protect Israel from terrorism in the wake of Assad's flight on Sunday which ended more than five decades of his family's rule.
Israel has acknowledged that troops have also taken up some positions beyond the buffer zone along the border, though it denied they were advancing towards Damascus.
Ireland is among a number of European countries that have suspended the processing of applications in recent days, and the matter will be discussed at a meeting of EU justice and home affairs Ministers on Thursday which Ms McEntee is due to attend.
"The Minister said that the International Protection Office (IPO) would temporarily pause the issuing of final determinations while the situation in Syria is kept under review," a spokesperson said.
Irish Refugee Council chief executive Nick Henderson said more than 140 Syrian people seeking information about the current situation had been in contact since the weekend.
“We do not know what legal device the IPO are using to pause applications."
Mr Henderson added that the council had previously requested that those left on the streets while seeking international protection should be given the opportunity to pause their protection while homeless, but this had been rejected by the IPO on the grounds that the International Protection Act 2015 does not allow for this.
"If such a device does exist, and applications are being paused, we recommend the IPO communicate with the approximately 450 Syrian people in our protection process and give a timeframe and a process.
“We would also encourage Ireland to contribute positively and progressively to the EU policy debate on this issue, including reconstruction in Syria. Less than two days after Assad’s downfall, several EU member states are rushing to deport and return Syrian people and are using disturbing rhetoric, which is completely inappropriate,” he said.
“If and when decision making resumes, the IPO and International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) should not automatically consider Syria a safe place, just because of the downfall of the Assad regime, given the extremely fluid security situation. Subsidiary protection can be used in addition to refugee status as it allows for a situation of internal armed conflict.
In the Syrian capital of Damascus, banks reopened for the first time yesterday since the overthrowing of Assad. Shops were also opening up again, traffic returned to the roads, and cleaners were out sweeping the streets.
However, rebuilding Syria will be a colossal task following 13 years of civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people.
- Additional reporting by Reuters and The Guardian