Austria Carries Out Its First Repatriation Directly to Syria in 15 Years

Austria has returned a Syrian with a criminal conviction to his birth country in what it described as the first such deportation since the fall of the Assad regime.

- Jennifer Rankin

"The deportation carried out today is part of a strict and thus fair asylum policy," said Austria's interior minister, Gerhard Karner. The ministry told Agence France-Presse it was the first deportation of a Syrian directly to Syria in about 15 years.

The 32-year-old man, who was granted asylum in Austria in 2014, lost his refugee status in February 2019 because of his criminal record, his legal adviser Ruxandra Staicu said. She declined to specify the nature of his conviction. The man received a negative ruling on an asylum claim in April and had been awaiting a response on another decision.