The first decision of its kind: the deportation of a Syrian refugee from Sweden after the improved security situation

The Swedish Immigration Service has ordered the deportation of Syrian refugees from the country, the first of its kind since the country began receiving Syrian refugees.

The new decision follows the legal position adopted by the department after an assessment of the security situation in Syria, according to opposition media.

The Swedish assessment showed that the situation in Syria has become safer in several major governorates such as Damascus, Tartous, and Hasakah, where refugees will be deported from Sweden.

“The new changes in the security assessment do not include those who have already received protection permits, but will continue to maintain their assessment”, said Frederic Papier, head of legal affairs at the Swedish Immigration Service.

“The high-risk security assessment adopted in 2013 was changed because of the low level of violence and conflict in a large number of Syrian areas”, he said.

“Immigration doesn’t see a significant risk to everyone, so individual assessments of the protection needs of individuals seeking asylum from Syria will be conducted”, said Papier.

The first deportation decision was applied against a young Syrian from Damascus, before the department announced a reassessment of the security situation in Syria.

The new decision puts 1,300 Syrian asylum seekers at risk of deportation if they come from areas that Swedish authorities consider relatively safe.