Austria fails in the first deportation to Syria at the last moment
Austrian authorities have temporarily failed to deport a Syrian criminal to his country after airspace over Syria was closed due to escalating conflict in the Middle East. The Austrian Ministry of the Interior explained to APA that flights to Syria are currently not possible, so the individual remains in custody until the deportation can be carried out.
However, the approval of the Syrian authorities is required again, as the acceptance certificate for the deportee has expired today, according to available information. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Interior described the cooperation with the authorities in Damascus as "sound". If the deportation had taken place, it would have been the first since the beginning of the Syrian civil war about 15 years ago. Austria has been seeking to return Syrians, especially those who have committed crimes, to their homeland since the fall of the Assad regime.
In this particular case, the convicted man has completed a long prison sentence in Austria. The European Court of Human Rights does not oppose his deportation, as his return is not considered a threat to his life according to European assessments. However, Lukas Gahleitner-Gertz from the Asylkoordination organization expressed his concern through Ö1 radio and the APA agency, pointing out that the situation in Syria remains unclear, and no one knows how the authorities there will deal with the man, and whether he will be arrested or tortured.
The visit of Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner to Syria in late April, accompanied by then German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, was a step to facilitate deportation processes, as he agreed with the new Syrian authorities on practical steps including training security forces and the return of refugees.
Currently, deportations from the European Union to Syria are not considered a common practice. Eurostat data shows that some individuals may have been deported from countries like Romania and Hungary, but there is no official confirmation of these operations being carried out.