One day after the fall of the regime in Syria Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer has instructed Interior Minister Gerhard Karner to suspend all ongoing asylum applications from Syria and review all asylum cases granted.
Family gatherings will also be suspended, as confirmed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the midday news radio bulletin, BTA reports.
Electronic media also published the announcement.
„I have instructed the ministry to prepare a program for organized repatriation and deportation to Syria,”, Carner said. This affects around 7,300 open first instance proceedings. All asylum cases should also be reviewed. A positive asylum decision is initially limited to three years, after which it becomes a permanent right of residence after a new review.
Lukas Gachleitner-Gertz from the “Asylum Coordination“ warns against rushing into action: It also depends on the circumstance whether there will be a permanent change in government structures, for example in the secret services. Only if this is the case and the refusal of criminal prosecution of the returnees is practically guaranteed, a reassessment can be considered, said Gachleitner-Gertz, quoted by the website of public radio and television ORF.
The Ministry of the Interior emphasized that the situation in Syria is currently being assessed. For his part, Gachleitner-Hertz pointed out that the desire to return among Syrians is very high. The task now is to support Syria's development towards democratization and respect for human rights.
About 95,000 people from Syria live in Austria, which is the largest group of refugees in the last twelve years, notes ORF and reminds that on the day of the overthrow of Assad, the Austrian Freedom Party called for the deportation of the Syrians.