Through their own safe spaces and mutual aid, Syrian LGBTQ+ refugees navigate a triple nightmare: Lebanon’s economic collapse, aid budget cuts and a worsening climate for queer people in the country.
When Nisrine and her family made the decision to flee Lebanon for Denmark in 2015, there was a snag: Her 12-year-old daughter Nadine had to return to Syria to get a passport. The border closed, and Nisrine made the painful decision to leave her behind—temporarily, she thought. Seven years later, she is still fighting to reunite with her.
Alaa fled to Germany at 16, after her brother was disappeared by Syrian government forces. She hoped to bring her parents later, but her reunification request was denied. She has not seen her parents for seven years, and has never met her six-year-old brother.
“Distance,” an upcoming podcast by Syria Direct, offers an intimate portrayal of the pain and rage of mothers, fathers, sons and daughters caught in a bureaucratic nightmare after their family reunification requests were rejected by European migration authorities.
In 2022, Syria’s humanitarian, political and economic crisis reached new depths. How did the year unfold, and what can be expected in 2023?
In Iraqi Kurdistan, an international film festival is providing opportunities for Syrian refugees to enjoy cinema again and take part in the region’s budding film industry.
The lawyer representing the family of Bashar Al-saud, a Syrian refugee allegedly tortured to death by Lebanese State Security officers in August, called the indictment a “bold and historic” decision.
Facing a budget shortfall, the UN Refugee Agency and the World Food Program are cutting monthly cash assistance for some Syrian refugees in Lebanon, many of whom already live in extreme poverty.
To prevent the spread of cholera, Jordanian border officials are confiscating and destroying most food items crossing the border from Syria. For travelers, it means losing a precious taste of home.
With precarious access to safe water and rampant poverty, Syrian refugees in Lebanon face a cholera outbreak that has infected more than 3,000 people so far.
