Social Affairs Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) criticized the “return and deportation plan” for Syrian refugees on Tuesday. The actions of Chancellor Karl Nehammer and Minister of the Interior Gerhard Karner (both ÖVP) have nothing to do with humanity, Rauch wrote on Platform X.
As reported, Karner said on Monday that he had instructed the ministry to “prepare an orderly repatriation and deportation program to Syria.” Family reunification is also suspended. The order for this comes from Chancellor Karl Nehammer.
Anyone who announces such a plan “as long as the situation in Syria is so confusing is once again doing the business of the right-wing populists – on the backs of those affected,” Social Minister Rauch wrote.
You can view Minister Rauch’s tweets here.
“Seriously disturbed”
He spoke to ten Syrian women from the AFYA association, which takes care of the health of refugees. They told him that everything in their community of origin had been destroyed and that they were still waiting for signs of life from their closest relatives. They may have been killed during the recent fighting in Syria. “Everyone is deeply concerned by the statements of Karl Nehammer and Gerhard Karner,” the Minister of Social Affairs said on the X platform.
The first reactions to the tweets are quite negative. The word deportations hadn’t even been mentioned yet, said one user. Rauch should listen to the interviews of his colleagues and the governments of 11 other EU countries “which just make sense,” said another.
Amnesty: “Worrying situation”
However, Rauch has human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and SOS Mitmensch at his side. “The situation in Syria remains worrying and unpredictable,” Amnesty International said. Those seeking protection should not be left without prospects; cases must be investigated individually; Delegate Aimée Stuflesser recalled that international human rights standards prohibit returns to countries where, among other things, there is a risk of persecution and torture.
Here you can view messages from Amnesty Austria and SOS Mitmensch.
It doesn’t help anyone “if people who have been part of Austria for a long time or who grew up here as children in recent years have to worry about their housing security,” says SOS Mitmensch spokesperson Alexander Pollak.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
