Fadel Abdel Ghani, the director of the Syrian Network for Human Rights, has labelled as “blatant lies” the recent statements made by Faisal al-Mekdad, the foreign minister of the Syrian regime. Mekdad had claimed that no refugees returning to Syria have been arrested.
In an interview with Syria TV, Abdel Ghani dismissed Mekdad’s assertions as “clear and unreliable falsehoods,” pointing to evidence from both the Syrian Network for Human Rights and reports from the International Commission of Inquiry on Syria. He emphasized that the 37 reports issued by the Commission of Inquiry provide substantial evidence of the regime’s practices of arbitrary arrest, enforced disappearance, and torture, describing these actions as systematic and indicative of state policy rather than isolated incidents. Abdel Ghani classified these acts as crimes against humanity.
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He also noted that the regime has made no substantive changes to its legal framework or security apparatus. The counterterrorism court remains in place, security services continue to operate, and no security officers have been held accountable for violations. Additionally, the judiciary in Syria remains under the regime’s tight control.
Abdel Ghani further explained that the Syrian Network for Human Rights produces monthly reports to highlight regime abuses in areas under its control, including violations affecting returning refugees. According to the network, at least 112,000 Syrians have been forcibly disappeared by the regime, with many more cases still undocumented and awaiting verification.
Faisal Mekdad’s allegations regarding refugees returning to Syria
Mekdad claimed last Wednesday that the regime welcomes the return of Syrian refugees, has dropped political and security sentences against them and that the security services have not arrested any returning Syrian refugees.
In an open interview with Egyptian journalists, intellectuals, and writers at the regime’s embassy in Cairo, Mekdad stated that the regime “welcomes the return of Syrian refugees and has not arrested any who have returned to the country,” adding, “We have dropped all political and security rulings against Syrians, except for those related to personal rights issues.”
Mekdad emphasized that “no force can prevent Syrians from returning to their country,” referring to decrees issued by the Syrian regime aimed at facilitating their return.
He also urged Western countries to support the Syrian regime in the matter of refugee return rather than imposing sanctions, highlighting an agreement with the UNHCR to meet all demands related to refugee returns.
However, Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, head of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, emphasized that human rights violations continue in Syria, affecting returning refugees and displaced persons.
“Inside Syria, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, torture, and death in custody persist, and violence and insecurity remain widespread across various regions,” Pinheiro stated in his speech to the Human Rights Council on July 3.
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.
