The Danish authorities have come under great criticism for their denial of residency permits for Syrian refugees, and their insistence on sending them back to their country, considering that the situation in Damascus is “safe” and therefore, they can return and reside there without prosecution, harassment or fear.
The story of Mazen Kirwan, a Syrian officer who defected from the regime’s army, reveals other details of the crisis, as he tells Al-Arabiya.net that he fled Syria and the Syrian army, where he served as an officer in the Special Tasks Unit, due to sectarian strife in the army. It is the gimmick used by the president of the regime, Bashar al-Assad, to suppress the demonstrations and the peaceful revolution. He then went with his family, his wife, and daughter, to Lebanon, and from there, he sent them to Europe to search for a safe place away from the danger and the specter of war.
Kiwan added that he remained in Lebanon until his wife and daughter were able to obtain asylum and residency in Europe, after which he could join them according to the family reunification law.
The officer revealed that his wife, upon her arrival in Denmark, obtained humanitarian asylum, which is a system that does not allow any privileges and does not allow the family to be brought in according to the family reunification law, indicating that he made numerous and incessant attempts to travel. He managed to join them a year and a half later.
Kiwan said that when his wife and daughter traveled to Denmark, his daughter was a month old, and his wife took the baby, alongside other Syrians, on a grueling journey from Libya to Algeria, and from there across the sea in a small boat with dozens of people to Italy, all the way to Denmark.
He said that after five years of residing in Denmark with the family, his wife was surprised by a letter from the authorities asking her to return with her daughter to Damascus because the capital and the surrounding areas are now safe and there are no traces of war, terrorism or terrorists, adding that she was informed that she and her daughter can travel to Syria and stay there without prosecution because the Syrian regime pledged not to harm the families of dissidents, peaceful activists, and opponents.
Kiwan added that the decision was taken after a report was issued by a Danish committee that traveled to Syria to evaluate the situation there. Based on the report, it was recommended to return the Syrians to their country, stressing that the committee did not visit eastern Ghouta to see what was happening there.
He stated that the decision will separate the family, as he and his son will remain in Denmark and his wife and daughter will return to Syria, calling for a solution to his problem and the problem of thousands of Syrians who face his same suffering or to allow them to go to Sweden in order to protect their families and their lives.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
