Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that Iraq’s authorities in both Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region are arbitrarily detaining and deporting Syrian refugees back to their home country.
The New York-based rights organization documented instances where Iraqi authorities deported Syrians despite their legal residency status or registration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Reports indicate that Syrians were arrested during raids at their workplaces, on the streets, and in two cases, at residency offices while attempting to renew their permits.
According to UNHCR, Iraq hosts at least 260,000 Syrian refugees, with approximately 90% residing in the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq. Around 60% of these refugees live in urban areas, while the remaining 40% are in refugee camps.
HRW spoke with seven Syrians in Erbil and Baghdad between April 19 and 26, who were facing deportation, including four who were at Erbil Airport awaiting deportation.
Sarah Sanbar, an Iraq researcher at HRW, stated that the organization could not determine the total number of Syrians deported.
She noted that these deportations have left Syrians in Iraq living in fear. “By forcibly returning asylum seekers to Syria, Iraq is deliberately putting them at risk,” Sanbar added.
A spokesperson for the Iraqi government did not respond to requests for comment from the Associated Press as of press time.
Iraqi authorities have also increased barriers for Syrians to remain legally in the country. At Baghdad’s request, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has suspended the issuance of entry visas for Syrian nationals.
This is part of broader efforts to regulate foreign labor in Iraq, limiting Syrians’ ability to enter the Kurdistan Region for work or asylum.
Many companies in Iraq employ Syrian workers without legal registration, leading to long hours and low wages.
The new regulations in the Kurdistan Region require companies to register Syrian workers and pay their social security contributions. However, some companies force employees to pay half of these social security fees from their salaries.
A Syrian worker in the Kurdistan Region told the Associated Press that a one-month visa for Syrians costs $150 and can be extended for up to a year.
He requested anonymity due to fears of deportation. He added that Syrians now must register with a social security number indicating that their employer is paying their contributions, or they cannot renew their visas.
In Baghdad, a one-year work visa, issued with a social security number, costs $2,000.
Host countries that have taken in Syrian refugees are increasingly pressuring them to return home, arguing that the war in Syria has largely ceased. However, the United Nations and human rights groups maintain that returning to Syria is still unsafe.