Egyptian authorities should stop arbitrarily detaining Syrians and
threatening to summarily deport them. The authorities should release the
Syrian detainees unless they are promptly charged with a valid offense,
and not deport Syrians with visas or asylum seekers without their
claims being impartially reviewed.
Since the Egyptian military removed Mohammed Morsy from power on July 3,
regulations governing Syrians’ entrance to Egypt have changed. Since
July 8, Syrians have been required to obtain entry visas and security
clearance before they arrive in Egypt, a hardship for those fleeing
fighting. Arrests of Syrians living in Egypt have increased to levels
that activists working with Syrian refugees in Cairo told Human Rights
Watch were unprecedented.
