Deportation attempts by the BAMF: Syria remains dangerous for minorities

The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) warns the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) and the relevant administrative courts in Germany against deporting members of Druze, Alawite, and Christian minorities to Syria. The Druze, in particular, are in acute danger from the Islamist regime in Damascus as well as marauding Islamist gangs. Exactly one year ago, these groups launched a bloody campaign in the Druze settlement area of al-Suwaida. They also repeatedly commit acts of violence against Alawites, Kurds, and Christians.

“The incitement against these minorities is centrally organized. The regime and its media cast them under general suspicion of being agents of foreign powers, particularly Israel. This effectively declares these people outlaws and exposes their lives and freedom to blind Sunni-Islamist violence. This incitement rightly instills fear in members of these minorities,” explains Dr. Kamal Sido, Middle East consultant at the STP. The European Parliament is therefore urgently called upon not to approve the decision to establish deportation centers in third countries: “The European Parliament and other institutions and media outlets should be aware that members of minority groups are not safe from radical Islamists even in asylum shelters in Germany. How, then, are they to be effectively protected in large deportation centers in third countries?” asks Sido.

In a specific case brought to the attention of the STP, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) is ordering a refugee from Hanover to leave Germany. Otherwise, he faces forced deportation. In a decision we have on file, refugee status is not granted and the asylum application is rejected. Nor is subsidiary protection status granted, and no grounds for a ban on deportation under Section 60(5) and (7), sentence 1, of the Residence Act are recognized. He is being urged to leave Germany voluntarily; otherwise, he faces forced deportation. According to his own account, his father was killed during attacks by regime troops in Damascus in 2025.

“To the best of our knowledge, the access road between Damascus and the Druze region in the south of the country, in the province of al-Suwaida, is not safe. Attacks and kidnappings of Druze occur there time and again. We therefore reiterate our appeal to the German government, as well as to the opposition and the European Parliament, to speak out against the deportation of minorities to Syria and to reject the establishment of deportation centers in third countries,” Sido emphasizes. Forced deportations and deportation centers in third countries are inhumane and violate European human rights principles.

This press release was translated from German to English using AI. If you come across errors or ambiguities, please contact us at 65]G378o6DD6CA.