Petition demands Danish lawmakers stop Syrian repatriation policy

An online petition which demands that Denmark should stop the Syrian repatriation policy that puts in danger the residency of a number of Syrian refugees living in the country, got the required number of signatures to be submitted to Parliament, AFP reports.

According to the report, the petition, defending the rights of Syrian people who escape from the war-torn country, has been signed by more than 53,000 people. It needed 50,000 signatures for Parliament to consider it.

Last year, Denmark passed a Bill to re-examine the cases of about 500 Syrians from the capital, Damascus, which is under the control of Bashar Assad’s regime, saying that the current situation in Damascus is no longer such, as to justify a residence permit or the extension of a residence permit.

The Bill would allow Denmark to move refugees arriving on Danish soil to asylum centres in a partner country—potentially outside Europe—where the asylum-seekers would have their asylum cases reviewed and possibly obtain protection in that country.

The Danes are rejecting calls from non-government organisations (NGOs) and the United Nations to abandon the plans, which fear an erosion of refugees’ rights.

READ: Syrian refugees flee from Denmark to Netherlands, Belgium