As the Syrian revolution and subsequent war stretches into its 13th year, millions of Syrians continue to suffer with no end in sight. The regime continues to arbitrarily arrest and torture its critics, indiscriminately attack civilians, and restrict aid while humanitarian needs are at an all time high. Many have fled the atrocities of the Assad regime, seeking safety across the region and risking their lives one more time to find asylum in Europe.
However, some European governments are now abandoning efforts to hold the regime accountable for its heinous crimes, and the safety of refugees, by moving towards normalizing diplomatic relations with Assad—a regime responsible for some of the worst human rights violations in modern history.
In a shocking move in July, Italy appointed Stefano Ravagnan as its ambassador to Syria, making it the first G7 country to re-establish diplomatic ties with Assad since 2011. This decision is not just a political failure but an ethical one, undermining efforts to hold Assad accountable for war crimes. Italy’s stance is part of a growing trend among EU nations that seek to re-engage with the regime despite its well-documented history of atrocities.
It followed a joint letter from eight EU nations—Italy, Austria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Greece, Croatia, Slovenia, and Slovakia—urging the EU’s High Representative, Josep Borrell, to re-engage diplomatically with the Assad regime.
This shift has been accompanied by troubling proposals, such as reports of Italy’s offer to buy “safe zones” in regime-held areas of Syria, where refugees could return. In reality, these zones offer no safety—refugees face arrest, torture, and disappearance upon return to Assad-controlled territories.
These efforts to rehabilitate Assad’s regime are a stab in the back of families of victims and survivors of Assad’s crimes who have been working day and night to document, testify and advocate for justice and accountability. Any step towards shaking hands with Syria’s dictator disregards both European court findings, international arrest warrants against the regime, and an International Court of Justice (ICJ) order, betraying the very values the EU claims to uphold.
Instead of ensuring refugees’ rights are protected, the EU has paid countries such as Turkey and Lebanon to do the “dirty work” and outsource its international obligation to protect refugees through multi-million euro deals. Syrians in these countries face dire conditions, including detention, racist attacks, forced deportations and anything-but “voluntary return” agreements under duress.
In Lebanon, April saw violent attacks on Syrians, including assaults and forced evictions, following the killing of a Lebanese official. Many refugees faced deportation to Syria, risking arrest and torture. In Turkey, July brought violent racist attacks on Syrians in Kayseri, where homes were destroyed and families displaced. This was accompanied by increased deportations to perilous areas in northern Syria.
These events are part of a persistent pattern of abuse in both countries. By outsourcing refugee protection, Europe is not merely failing its obligations but actively being complicit in their persecution.
The extent of Europe’s betrayal is made clear in a recent Human Rights Watch report. It exposes how the EU has funded Lebanese and Cypriot authorities who intercept refugees trying to reach Europe, with no regards to their safety, forcibly returning them to Syria, where they face detention, torture, and even death. By providing millions of euros for border management, the EU is actively enabling these abuses, violating the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning refugees to places where they face danger.
Syrian refugees deported from Cyprus to Lebanon have described being handed over to the Syrian army and unidentified armed men, leading to their torture and extortion. One refugee put it clearly: “I can’t go home, stay here, or leave.” This grim reality is a direct result of EU policies that prioritize border control over human lives.
Recently, anti-refugee sentiment has intensified in Germany, propelled not only by the right-wing parties, but also by other ostensibly less right-leaning political factions. This trend has created an atmosphere where refugees feel increasingly vulnerable, silenced and fears are growing that their speech, rights, and legal status are under threat .
The rise of far-right parties across Europe has further fueled anti-refugee policies, driving the push towards normalizing relations with Assad. Anti-refugee rhetoric, often fueled by xenophobia and disinformation, portrays refugees as threats, justifying deportations and the abandonment of human rights obligations. This normalization is not about achieving peace but about political expediency, pushing refugees back into the danger they escaped from while ignoring the regime’s ongoing atrocities.
As some European countries push to re-establish ties with Assad, they have also ramped up deportations to Syria, where returnees face arrest, torture and forced disappearances. According to Human Rights Watch, Syrians deported by Cyprus have been handed over to Syrian soldiers and subjected to brutal treatment. Deporting refugees to Syria is too often a death sentence. Over 157,000 people remain detained or forcibly disappeared in Syria since 2011, the majority in Assad’s prisons, and deportations only increase this number.
Europe’s engagement with Assad must stop. The EU should reject normalization and instead pursue real accountability for Assad’s war crimes. European governments must prioritize protecting refugees, not legitimizing a regime that continues to torture and kill its own people. Instead of abandoning Syrians to persecution, the EU should be inspired by Syria’s survivors and human rights advocates to pursue legal avenues to hold Assad and his officials accountable for their crimes.
The EU must take immediate action to safeguard refugees by establishing legal and safe resettlement pathways, reiterating that no part of Syria is safe. Policymakers must ensure that no EU funding contributes to forced returns to Syria, and hold Lebanon and Turkey accountable for protecting refugee rights. This includes urging these governments to end persecution, raids, and arrests. Additionally, the EU should increase humanitarian aid to host countries and push the UNHCR to enhance protection for refugees.
The world cannot again fail Syria. Normalizing relations with Assad is a betrayal of every Syrian family torn apart by Assad’s regime. The EU must continue to reject the Syrian regime, that is propped-up through the threat of indiscriminate torture and has used of chemical weapons against its own people. Instead, the EU must uphold human rights, and stand with the people of Syria in their fight for freedom, dignity and justice.