EPA
A number of European countries, including the UK, have suspended the processing of asylum applications for Syrians, after the downfall of former president Bashar al-Assad.
Austria’s caretaker government has stopped all asylum claims from Syrians and says it is making plans to repatriate or deport people back to their homeland, arguing that the situation in the country has changed fundamentally.
Germany (home to a million Syrians), the United Kingdom, France, and Greece have all said they will halt asylum decisions for now.
The moves potentially leave thousands of Syrians in limbo, following the collapse of the Assad regime after 50 years of brutal rule.
Since 2011, the UN says more than 14 million Syrians have been forced to flee their homes in search of safety.
Austria’s Chancellor Karl Nehammer, a conservative who is a hardliner on immigration, said in a post on X that the government would “support all Syrians who have found refuge in Austria and want to return to their home country”.
He added that the “security situation in Syria must also be reassessed in order to make deportations possible again in the future”.
In a statement, Austria’s Interior Ministry said “the political situation in Syria h
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