Published : 08-11-2019
The Egyptian authorities deported a Palestinian refugee to Syria after he overstayed his visa in the country.
An AGPS field reported said the refugee entered Egypt illegally through Sudan to reunite with his family members, who have sought refuge in Egypt since 2014.
The Egyptian authorities arrested the refugee and kept him in custody for days, before they pushed him back to Syria.
The refugee’s family said the husband was also deported from Egypt some eight days earlier, saying such arbitrary refoulement decisions stand in sharp contrast to international humanitarian laws.
Palestinian refugees who fled war-torn Syria have been subjected to a fragile legal status in Egypt, where they are treated as foreigners rather than asylum-seekers fleeing war-stricken zones.
Palestinians from Syria in Egypt have been denied the right to legal visas, refugee documents, safe accommodation, basic services, and relief assistance.
Those who illegally entered Egypt via the Sudanese borders have been denied the right to free movement, education, and labor, among other basic necessities. Unlike Syrian nationals, who are granted safe asylum in Egypt and systematically assisted by the UNHCR, Palestinian refugees are left on their own.
At the same time, the number of Palestinians who fled Syria to Egypt has dramatically shrunk back over the past three years. AGPS data indicates that the number of Palestinian refugees from Syria in Egypt in 2018 was estimated at 3,500, down from over 6,000 in recent years. Some 500 refugees illegally entered Egypt through Sudan.
AGPS continues to stress the need to secure the rights of the Palestinians from Syria in Egypt, who fall outside of UNRWA’s fields of operations, to legal and physical protection, as per the Refugee Convention of 1951, and to hand them over cash and in-kind aids, along with refugee cards, in order to enhance their legal status in the Egyptian territories.
The Egyptian authorities deported a Palestinian refugee to Syria after he overstayed his visa in the country.
An AGPS field reported said the refugee entered Egypt illegally through Sudan to reunite with his family members, who have sought refuge in Egypt since 2014.
The Egyptian authorities arrested the refugee and kept him in custody for days, before they pushed him back to Syria.
The refugee’s family said the husband was also deported from Egypt some eight days earlier, saying such arbitrary refoulement decisions stand in sharp contrast to international humanitarian laws.
Palestinian refugees who fled war-torn Syria have been subjected to a fragile legal status in Egypt, where they are treated as foreigners rather than asylum-seekers fleeing war-stricken zones.
Palestinians from Syria in Egypt have been denied the right to legal visas, refugee documents, safe accommodation, basic services, and relief assistance.
Those who illegally entered Egypt via the Sudanese borders have been denied the right to free movement, education, and labor, among other basic necessities. Unlike Syrian nationals, who are granted safe asylum in Egypt and systematically assisted by the UNHCR, Palestinian refugees are left on their own.
At the same time, the number of Palestinians who fled Syria to Egypt has dramatically shrunk back over the past three years. AGPS data indicates that the number of Palestinian refugees from Syria in Egypt in 2018 was estimated at 3,500, down from over 6,000 in recent years. Some 500 refugees illegally entered Egypt through Sudan.
AGPS continues to stress the need to secure the rights of the Palestinians from Syria in Egypt, who fall outside of UNRWA’s fields of operations, to legal and physical protection, as per the Refugee Convention of 1951, and to hand them over cash and in-kind aids, along with refugee cards, in order to enhance their legal status in the Egyptian territories.
