UNHCR worried about detention of Syrians in Egypt

The United Nations refugee agency has expressed concern about the arbitrary detention of an increasing number of Syrian refugees by Egyptian military and security personnel in the North African country.

Melissa Fleming, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said on Friday that those arrested and detained had included several minors and Syrians registered as refugees with the UN agency.

Fleming also said the UNHCR has demanded to have access to the 85 Syrians detained in Egypt and stressed that they “should be afforded fair and due process of law in Egypt.”

The climate of hostility toward Syrians came after allegations that a few of them took part in protests in the North African country during July.

Xenophobic remarks and verbal attacks against Syrians, including disturbing statements made through media outlets, were also reported.

This is while, since the beginning of unrest in Syria, people from the Arab nation had enjoyed a very hospitable environment in Egypt as the Egyptian government gave them unrestricted visas and residence permits. They also had full access to public services.

“Now, a growing number of Syrians are expressing their fear of being arrested if they circulate in public,” Fleming said.

The number of Syrians approaching UNHCR to register has faced a notable rise due to the hostile environment in Egypt.

According to the government estimates, some 250,000 to 300,000 Syrians currently reside in Egypt, 80,000 were registered with UNHCR as of 25 July and nearly 29,000 held appointments for registration in the coming weeks.

The unrest in Syria erupted in March 2011. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said more than 100,000 people have been killed in the country since the outbreak of the violence, up from the earlier estimate of 93,000.