A convicted Syrian is deported from Austria and disappears without a trace
A Syrian citizen has disappeared after being deported from Austria, according to his lawyers. The last contact with him was during his stop in Istanbul during the deportation process, and since he left for Syria, no news has reached about him, even his sister who tried to contact him has not received any sign of life from him.
Austrian authorities concerned believe that he did not disappear voluntarily but was detained by Syrian authorities, which was also confirmed by the Austrian Ministry of the Interior, indicating that the man was handed over to Syrian authorities. However, the ministry refrained from providing any details about the circumstances of the forced deportation.
The organization Deserteurs- und Flüchtlingsberatung called on the Austrian Ministries of the Interior and Foreign Affairs to take urgent steps to verify the man's fate and ensure he is not subjected to any inhumane treatment in Syria. This deportation process, which took place in early July, is the first of its kind in 15 years.
The 32-year-old man was sentenced in November 2018 by the Landesgericht Salzburg to seven years in prison for joining ISIS. The European Court of Human Rights had approved the decision for his deportation.
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