A SYRIAN refugee is facing removal to Denmark on Friday, despite concerns over the country’s attempts to deport Syrians to Damascus, campaigners say. 

Remi Ali, 31, is said to have attempted suicide while being held at Colnbrook immigration detention centre, near Heathrow, because he is “terrified” of being deported to Denmark.

In 2019, the Danish government began revoking the temporary residence permits of hundreds of Syrians, claiming that the security situation in Damascus had “improved significantly.” 

The move has been roundly condemned by the United Nations and human rights groups, which have warned of a continuing risk of torture and enforced disappearances in Syria. 

Movement for Justice campaigner Karen Doyle said that Mr Ali had been granted refugee status in Denmark, but he had left in 2019 because of the country’s increasingly poor treatment of refugees. 

His refugee status in Denmark has since lapsed, putting him at risk of being forced back to Syria if he is returned there, Ms Doyle told the Morning Star. 

“There’s lots of refugees with and without status who are leaving Denmark because everyone there is scared,” she said. “He has already tried to kill himself once in the detention centre. He’s very desperate and afraid.”

Mr Ali is a survivor of torture, Ms Doyle added.

It is understood that the Syrian national is due to be removed on a British Airways passenger flight at 8.55am this morning. 

Denmark cannot deport people to Syria because it has no diplomatic relations with President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. 

However, Syrian nationals without permits have few options — to leave voluntarily or be held in a “return centre” where they cannot work or study. 

Denmark also encourages voluntary returns by offering payments to Syrians who choose to leave.