Should Syrians found guilty of a criminal offence in Germany be sent back home?

Essentially, is even any part of Syria safe for deportation?

The question has come up for an intense debate after a deadly stabbing attack in Solingen last month. The suspect, a Syrian man, had been due to be sent back to Bulgaria – the EU nation he used to enter the bloc. He should have stayed there as per European rules.

The brutal knife attack in the German city made global headlines. The suspect turned himself in and admitted to the crime. The incident took place on a Friday evening at a “Festival of Diversity” to celebrate Solingen’s 650th anniversary.

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Solingen is a city of some 150,000 people. The 26-year-old attacker claimed three lives that night, aged 56, 56 and 67 years. The victims did not have any ties to the Syrian suspect, as per media reports. Organisers eventually decided to cancel the three-day festival.

Expert: Not even a single part of Syria is safe for deportations

The Solingen attack has brought back intense focus on deportations. The debate also gets stronger against a backdrop of a far-right and anti-immigrant political party just triumphing in state elections in the eastern states of Saxony and Thuringia.

Syria is currently divided into four areas controlled by different actors. The largest part is controlled by President Bashar assad. It makes up about 60% of the country. Extremist group HTS controls a smaller part, and Turkey is in charge of 2 areas bordering its territory.None of these four areas can be considered safe, according to an expert at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA). “In my opinion, deportations to any of the four regions should currently be prohibited,” InfoMigrants quoted Bank as saying.