The Laws Employed by the Syrian Regime to Control Real Estate Ownership and Lands Before and After the Beginning of the Popular Uprising in March 2011
Syrian Network for Human RightsMay 25, 2023
According to a report from the nonprofit watchdog Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) released on Thursday, as many as 14M Syrian refugees face massive obstacles to returning to their homes as the Syrian state has the authority to lawfully seize land and property.
The report claims the laws in question principally target three groups: 12.3M forcibly displaced persons, 115K forcibly disappeared persons, and 500K victims who have yet to be registered as dead in the civil registry.
The Syrian regime's cynical use of legal procedures to appropriate land from refugees is appalling and is a significant hurdle for refugees returning home. The regime systematically destroyed opposition areas and has now appropriated the land for development by pro-regime actors. This criminal regime must be held accountable by the international community.
The refugee issue must be dealt with systematically, and one of the first steps to alleviate the suffering of Syrians is the removal of sanctions. How can refugees return to Syria when the government cannot deliver relief or rebuild after 12 years of war? Cooperation with international and regional actors is necessary to solve this issue, and global sanctions are making humanitarian suffering worse.