Amnesty International accuses Egypt of unlawfully detaining Syrian refugees

Amnesty International has accused Egypt of unlawfully detaining and deporting hundreds of Syrian refugees. In a report on Thursday, Amnesty International said hundreds of refugees, who fled a deadly conflict in Syria, face ongoing detention in poor conditions or deportation. The London-based group said that two one-year-old twins were among the refugees being indefinitely detained. “Instead of offering vital help and support to refugees from Syria, the Egyptian authorities are arresting and deporting them, flouting human rights standards," said Sherif Elsayed Ali, Amnesty  International’s Head of Refugee and Migrants’ Rights. "Most refugees lost their homes and livelihoods when they fled Syria. Failing to help and protect them is a stain on the reputation of Egypt and could seriously damage its image as a key stakeholder in the region,” Ali said. The Egyptian navy has intercepted around 13 boats carrying refugees from Syria in their attempt to reach Europe. According to the latest figures from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), 946 people have been arrested by the Egyptian authorities while attempting the crossing and 724 women, children and men remain in detention. Amnesty said that in one case a nine-year-old boy from Aleppo was arrested on a boat with a family friend. He was detained and denied access to his mother for four days. “The Egyptian authorities have a duty to provide protection to anyone who has fled the conflict in Syria and is seeking safe refuge in their country," Ali said. "At present Egypt is failing abysmally to meet its international obligations to protect even the most vulnerable refugees." Egypt used to spread a welcome mat to Syrians under the ousted President Mohamed Morsi's regime with the government giving Syrian refugees unconditional entry visas and residence permits. Many Syrians, however, say things were totally altered after Morsi was deposed on July 3. They say the authorities had detained scores of Syrians and accused them of not having viable residence permits or failing to renew their old permits. Human Rights Watch said in a recent report that the Egyptian government had arrested scores of Syrians, including children, at checkpoints in Cairo without a charge.