The Syrian government is preventing displaced residents of former anti-government-held areas from returning home by unlawfully demolishing their properties, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday.
The organization Human Rights Watch on Tuesday said the Syrian government is unlawfully preventing displaced residents from former anti-government-held areas from returning home by demolishing their properties without notice, providing no alternative housing or compensation. The organization analyzed satellite images of one town, Qaboun, and said photos showed large-scale demolitions since the end of May 2017, when fighting ended in the area. The images reportedly confirm that such demolitions are still ongoing.
'Government is preventing residents from returning'
''Russia and Syria are calling on people to return to attract reconstruction funding, but as always with the Syrian government, the reality is much different'', said Lama Fakih, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. ''Apparently under the guise of a notorious property rights law, the Syrian government is actually blocking residents from returning."
The Syrian council of ministers and local authorities designated parts of Darayya for redevelopment in April 2018 and Qaboun in July. The government has retaken both from anti-government groups after large-scale offensives that included attacks on civilians and the use of banned weapons, prompting the displacement of thousands of residents, Human Rights Watch said. But under Law 10 of 2018, passed in April, the government can appropriate private property without due process or adequate compensation in redevelopment zones, according to the organization.
Proof from satellite images
Based on media reports and statements released by the Syrian government between May 2017 and October 2018, HRW said that the cabinet ''announced that it was destroying tunnels created by anti-government groups, as well as explosive remnants armed groups left behind in Qaboun. However, satellite imagery Human Rights Watch reviewed during this period showed that the government demolished houses with heavy, earth moving machinery such as bulldozers, and excavators as well as with the uncontrolled detonation of high explosives, which is inconsistent with closing underground tunnels."
The organization also said it discovered that, although many buildings were very likely damaged by air and ground attacks, many of the structures that were later demolished were visibly intact and could have been inhabited. The organization asked Russia to use its influence over the Syrian government to ensure that the property rights of displaced people seeking to return are protected. ''In demolishing their homes and restricting access to their property, the Syrian government is signaling that despite official rhetoric inviting Syrians 'home,' they do not want refugees or displaced persons back'', Fakih said. ''Donors considering funding reconstruction to facilitate returns should be put on notice''.