Activists accused Syrian regime of arresting returnees

NEWS DESK

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the regime has arrested more than 700 people returning to Syria since October, adding that more than 200 people remain in detention.

Observatory groups accuse the regime of arresting hundreds of Syrian refugees and displaced persons who have returned to the territory it controls.

Syrian forces have called on Syrian refugees in neighboring countries to return under the pretext that the situation has become "safe".

The Russian army said on Friday that some 270,000 Syrian refugees had returned home in recent months - a small number of the 5.6 million Syrians who fled abroad to escape the conflict.

Many returnees came from Lebanon  which led the repatriation of Syrian refugees. Lebanese security agencies estimate that some 80,000 Syrians have returned since July.

However, United Nations agencies and human rights groups say that the return of refugees may be too soon, especially since they cannot guarantee voluntary return in a voluntary and safe manner. Many refugees fear oppression after returning to areas controlled by regime forces in the absence of a comprehensive political agreement.

The Syrian observatory documented 488 cases of arbitrary detention carried out by the warring parties in Syria during October. The observatory said the regime's forces were responsible for more than 60 percent of the arrests.

Of those arrested are internally displaced civilians who returned to areas controlled by the regime after accepting so-called reconciliation deals. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, "Syrian regime forces launched a comprehensive arrest campaign against individuals who returned from neighboring countries."

A.H

ANHA