Authorities in Cyprus have reportedly remanded five Syrian nationals on suspicion of trafficking migrants. The arrests came after a police patrol boat picked up 32 Syrian migrants and the alleged traffickers from the sea when they suffered shipwreck.
Syria and Lebanon are about to launch a controversial repatriation program for "tens of thousands" of refugees who fled from war in Syria. Meanwhile, migrants who want to reach Europe continue to make use of the porous borders between the two countries.
Recently, Lebanon and Turkey announced plans to send up to a million Syrians back home, claiming much of Syria is now safe. This is making some in the Syrian population nervous.
Turkey’s defense ministry announced on Sunday it had filmed footage of Greek pushbacks. The news was reported by the Turkish Anadolu Agency.
Despite staunch opposition from the UN and rights organizations, Lebanon has announced it intends to start repatriating tens of thousands of Syrian refugees within the next few months. The plan will entail sending back 15,000 Syrian refugees each month.
A man who drove a van in which two Syrians suffocated last fall has been sentenced to seven years in prison. The 19-year-old was allegedly part of a network that smuggled refugees and migrants, mostly Syrians, from Hungary to Austria.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed plans to send around one million Syrian refugees back to their country. The President said that the plans were at an "advanced" stage.
A gang of three men are on trial in Belfast, accused of trafficking more than 40 Syrians from Europe to Ireland and on to the UK.
Dozens of Syrians suffering from 11 years of armed conflict have said that they are ready to leave for Ukraine under attack from Russia, hoping to enter the EU as refugees. ANSA spoke to numerous Syrians in Damascus and other cities controlled by the central government.
Three children have died and two others are in life-threatening condition after a wave of storms and freezing temperatures hit northwest Syria, according to UN officials and aid workers. Tens of thousands of displaced people are living in makeshift shelters in the area.
Syrian doctor Alaa M. will stand trial in Frankfurt from Wednesday, accused of having been part of the Syrian torture system. Torture takes place in over 100 countries worldwide — and doctors are almost always involved.
In December, the Home Office sent a rejection letter to a Syrian asylum seeker, saying it was safe for him to return. That would have been first case of its kind in the UK. Now, authorities appear to have backtracked.