UN committee probes disappearance of Syrian man deported by Austria

By Layli Foroudi

PARIS (Reuters) -The U.N. Committee on Enforced Disappearances has launched an inquiry into the whereabouts and fate of a Syrian man who was deported by Austria in early July and has not been in contact with his legal team or family since.

Austria has been asked by the U.N. committee "to make formal diplomatic representations to the Syrian authorities to determine whether the (person) is alive, where he is being held, in what conditions, and (to) request diplomatic guarantees to ensure his safety and humane treatment," according to a letter dated August 6 from the U.N. Petitions Section, seen by Reuters.

The 32-year-old man was the first Syrian national expelled from European Union territory since the fall in December of President Bashar al-Assad to rebels, who are now in power with their leader as interim president vowing stability and reforms.

Millions of Syrians fled Assad's bloody crackdown on opponents in the country's 2011-24 civil war. EU countries took in many of the refugees but some are now looking into repatriations, citing the changed political situation in Syria, though sectarian violence has continued in some areas.

Rights groups raised concerns at the time of the man's deportation on July 3 that he risked inhumane treatment in his home country and that his case would set a dangerous precedent.

Now, the man's legal team in Austria and close family have not been able to make contact with him, his Austrian legal adviser Ruxandra Staicu told Reuters.

"This shows what we said before: nobody can say for sure what will happen after deportation to Syria, because the situation in Syria is not secure, not stable, it is still changing," she said.

Austria's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The man, who was granted asylum in Austria in 2014, lost his refugee status in 2019 after being convicted of an unspecified crime. He was deported while awaiting a decision on a new asylum application. That decision is still pending.

(Reporting by Layli Foroudi; editing by Mark Heinrich)