UAE Deports 50 Syrian Families Without Explanation

A few days ago, it was revealed that dozens of Syrian families were deported after being informed by the UAE authorities that they “were unwelcome individuals on Emirati soil”.

Without providing any official explanation or prior warning, “the Abu Dhabi government decided to deport about 50 Syrian families, within a 24-hour period, a few days ago”, a source close to some of the deported families told the Alquds Alarabi newspaper.

According to an unnamed source, the families were summoned by Abu Dhabi security forces and told to bring their residency permits and passports. Shortly following this “the Abu Dhabi government then gave the families one day to leave the UAE without any explanation for why they were being deported. The government merely told them they were unwelcome in the country”

Furthermore, on expelling the Syrians from the country, the Emirati authorities refused to stamp the deportees passports for fear of legal ramifications of forced expulsions down the line.

In 2015, the UAE authorities announced that it had issued residency permits to about 250,000 Syrians, and had welcomed over 100,000 since 2011, though these figures have been heavily disputed by both Emirati and Syrian activists.

This latest action by the Emirati authorities stands in clear violation to the rights of these families that had been granted a legal permit to live and work in the UAE only a few years ago. It is especially hard for Syrians to get legal residency or even legally enter other countries, so this deportation order is particularly destructive for the families involved who will find it hard to gain status somewhere else. 

In a broader sense, this is demonstrative of the UAE's cavalier attitude towards the basic human rights of those residing within its borders that can be breached at any time with no explanation, of which Amnesty International have documented on numerous such cases in recent years. It is imperative that international bodies, such as the UN, exert substantive pressure on the Emirati authorities to respect the basic rights of those inside the country, and to adhere to international human rights legislation.

- For more information, please contact the ICFUAE team at joe@icfuae.org.uk or +44 7979 6666 98

- For more information regarding the story, please see https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20171009-uae-deports-50-syrian-families-on-charges-of-links-to-qatar/