(Reuters) Austria is preparing to deport a Syrian man whose asylum status was revoked due to a criminal conviction, in what an EU official and rights groups say will be Europe’s first forced deportation to Syria since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad.
Rights groups are concerned that Austria’s plan could set a precedent, encouraging other European Union member states to follow suit amid rising anti-migration sentiment across the 27-nation bloc.
The 32-year-old man, who was granted asylum in Austria in 2014, lost his refugee status in February 2019 because of his criminal record, his legal adviser Ruxandra Staicu said. She declined to specify the nature of his conviction.
