The number of signatories on a popular initiative calling for Danish authorities not to revoke residence permits for Syrians from the capital Damascus has exceeded 50,000 as of Tuesday, and the parliament is set to review it. Last summer, Denmark decided to reconsider the cases of Syrians from the Syrian capital, which is under the control of the Syrian regime, a move that has since expanded to include those from the outskirts of Damascus, based on the assertion that "the current situation in Damascus no longer justifies residence permits or their extensions."
This decision, which has received support from the majority of politicians in Denmark, sparked significant controversy. The text of the petition, signed by more than 52,000 people by Tuesday morning, states, "We want the parliament to amend the law that allows Danish authorities to return refugees to Syria under the current situation."
Amnesty International condemned, in a report published in September, the various forms of violations faced by dozens of refugees who returned to Syria. Legally, temporary residence permits are granted without a time limit in cases where "there is a particularly dangerous situation in the country of origin characterized by arbitrary violence and violations against civilians." However, these permits can be revoked if the assessment of the situation changes, a decision defended by the Social Democratic government aiming for a goal of "zero asylum seekers."
According to figures released in May by the Immigration Agency, residence permits for 248 individuals, who initially received temporary permits, were revoked. Once all avenues of appeal are exhausted, those rejected have up to three months to leave the country voluntarily before being placed in administrative detention due to the inability to deport them to Syria in the absence of diplomatic relations between Copenhagen and Damascus. Approximately 35,500 Syrians live in the Scandinavian kingdom, which has a population of 5.8 million, with more than half having arrived in 2015, according to the National Statistics Institute.
