Syria blocking returns to ex-rebel areas, HRW says

BEIRUT — Syria's government is preventing people from returning to ex-rebel zones around Damascus through restrictions on access or by destroying their properties, a rights group said on Tuesday.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said it found that Syrians trying to reach their hometown of Daraya outside Damascus or the neighbourhood of Qabun inside the capital were unable to do so.

Both areas have been tapped for redevelopment into residential and commercial complexes under Syria's Law 10, legislation passed earlier this year that allows the government to expropriate land.

"Apparently under the guise of a notorious property rights law, the Syrian government is actually blocking residents from returning," said HRW's Deputy Middle East Director Lama Fakih.

Syrians from Daraya said the government was completely blocking access to the town, which was recaptured in August 2016 after years of siege and bombardment.

The regime's takeover saw Daraya's residents bussed out in a mass population transfer that drew widespread criticism.

Those from Qabun, recaptured by the government in May 2017, reported being unable to access their neighbourhood or finding their property had been totally destroyed.

These findings indicated Syria's government was "violating its obligations to guarantee freedom of movement", HRW said.

"The scale of the demolitions, and the fact that the government had retaken the area for at least a year, indicates that these demolitions are likely disproportionate, and may be war crimes," it said.