Published : 30-01-2022
Palestinian refugees said Syrian authorities have refused the authorizations they obtained from Syrian embassies abroad in order for their relatives to retrieve their property in Yarmouk Camp.
The refugees said authorities have greenlighted seizing the property of “military evaders”.
Syria’s Military Conscription Law allows for the immediate seizure of assets for men who did not serve in the military and failed to pay the requisite $8,000 USD exemption fee for not serving within a period of three months from the day they turned 43, when they age out of conscription
The law empowers the Ministry of Finance to immediately confiscate and sell an inpidual’s property without providing notice or giving the inpidual an opportunity to challenge the decision. While military conscription applies to men only, the law also enables the government to seize the assets of wives, children, and other immediate relatives of the inpidual in question until the source of those funds is verified.
The law not only fails to meet basic due process guarantees, but also creates additional obstacles for refugees considering returning to Syria. Many Palestinian refugees have fled Syria to avoid military conscription, which not only involves risk of death but also promised involvement in egregious human rights abuses that have stained the Syrian Armed Forces’ actions since the start of the conflict.
Many refugees do not have the means to pay fines for evading conscription. Palestinian refugees, most of whom are in Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey, are enduring unprecedented harsh economic circumstances, brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic’s impact on economies that already largely marginalized refugees.
Palestinian refugees who evaded conscription cannot obtain official documents from Syrian authorities to return to Yarmouk Camp due to heavy deployment of security forces around the area.
Recently, the Syrian Ministry of Justice stipulated that a security permit should be issued for those holding authorizations on behalf of absentees or missing relatives under the security guise.
Palestinian refugees said Syrian authorities have refused the authorizations they obtained from Syrian embassies abroad in order for their relatives to retrieve their property in Yarmouk Camp.
The refugees said authorities have greenlighted seizing the property of “military evaders”.
Syria’s Military Conscription Law allows for the immediate seizure of assets for men who did not serve in the military and failed to pay the requisite $8,000 USD exemption fee for not serving within a period of three months from the day they turned 43, when they age out of conscription
The law empowers the Ministry of Finance to immediately confiscate and sell an inpidual’s property without providing notice or giving the inpidual an opportunity to challenge the decision. While military conscription applies to men only, the law also enables the government to seize the assets of wives, children, and other immediate relatives of the inpidual in question until the source of those funds is verified.
The law not only fails to meet basic due process guarantees, but also creates additional obstacles for refugees considering returning to Syria. Many Palestinian refugees have fled Syria to avoid military conscription, which not only involves risk of death but also promised involvement in egregious human rights abuses that have stained the Syrian Armed Forces’ actions since the start of the conflict.
Many refugees do not have the means to pay fines for evading conscription. Palestinian refugees, most of whom are in Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey, are enduring unprecedented harsh economic circumstances, brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic’s impact on economies that already largely marginalized refugees.
Palestinian refugees who evaded conscription cannot obtain official documents from Syrian authorities to return to Yarmouk Camp due to heavy deployment of security forces around the area.
Recently, the Syrian Ministry of Justice stipulated that a security permit should be issued for those holding authorizations on behalf of absentees or missing relatives under the security guise.
