| This country guidance is currently under review. In view of the recent significant changes in Syria, notably the fall of the Assad regime, some conclusions within this document may no longer be valid. When examining the international protection needs of applicants from Syria, please consider the most up-to-date country of origin information available. |
A • B • C • D • E • F • G • H • I • J • K • L • M • N • O • P • Q • R • S • T • U • V • W • X • Y • Z
A
| ACLED | Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project |
| Ahrar al-Sham | Sunni Salafist Jihadist armed group active in Syria, particularly Idlib Province; historical ‘partner’ of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham in Syria |
| Al-Yarmouk camp | Main refugee camp for Palestinians; located in Damascus |
| APD (Asylum Procedures Directive) | Directive 2013/32/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 on common procedures for granting and withdrawing international protection |
B |
|
| Baath Party (Syria) | Arab Socialist Baath Party; the ruling political party in Syria headed by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad |
| Badia | Desert located in Central Syria, south of the Euphrates, specifically in the part of rural Homs, eastern Hama, southern Aleppo, southern Raqqa, and western and southern Deir Ez-Zor |
C |
|
| CJEU | Court of Justice of the European Union |
| COI | Country of origin information |
| CoI | Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic |
D |
|
| Defector | A defector is a former member of the SAA who has left the SAA and joined an armed opposition group in Syria. |
| Deserter | A deserter is a former member of the SAA (e.g. a conscript, a non-commissioned officer (corporal or sergeant) or an officer) who has left his post or unit in the SAA without permission. |
| Draft evader | A draft evader is a Syrian male, above the age of 18, who has avoided being drafted into the SAA either by hiding from the Syrian authorities or by fleeing Syria. |
F |
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| FES | Friedrich Ebert Foundation |
| FSA | Free Syrian Army |
G |
|
| GoS | Government of Syria |
H |
|
| HAD | Hurras al-Din |
| Hezbollah | Lebanese Hezbollah; Lebanese Shia Islamist armed militant group backed by Iran and active on behalf of Assad in Syria |
| HTS | Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham |
I |
|
| ID | Identification documentation |
| Idlib de-escalation area | 'The term ‘Idlib de-escalation area’ or ‘Idlib de-escalation zone’ covers the areas controlled by anti-GoS armed groups in Idlib governorate as well as the adjoining, similar areas in western Aleppo and northern Hama and Latakia governorates.' |
| IDP | Internally displaced person |
| IED | Improvised explosive device |
| IPA | Internal Protection Alternative |
| IRGC | Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps |
| ISIL | The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the Islamic State, or Daesh |
J |
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| Jaysh al-Islam | Sunni Salafist Jihadist armed opposition group active in Eastern Ghouta outside Damascus; rival of Faylaq al-Rahman |
K |
|
| KNC | Kurdish National Council |
L |
|
| LGBTIQ |
LGBTIQ people are people:
who are attracted to others of their own gender (lesbian, gay) or any gender (bisexual);
whose gender identity and/or expression does not correspond to the sex they were assigned at birth (trans, non-binary);
who are born with sex characteristics that do not fit the typical definition of male or female (intersex); and
whose identity does not fit into a binary classification of sexuality and/or gender (queer).
|
M |
|
| Military service | ‘Military service’ is used broadly to cover both military service and reserve service in the SAA. |
| Mukhtar | ‘Mayor or chief of a village/neighbourhood |
N |
|
| NDF | National Defence Forces, Quwat al Difa al Watani |
| NGO | Non-governmental organisation |
| NLF | National Liberation Front |
P |
|
| PKK | Kurdistan Worker’s Party (Partiya Karkerên Kurdistanê) |
| PYD | Popular Mobilisation Forces |
Q |
|
| QD (Qualification Directive) | Directive 2011/95/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2011 on standards for the qualification of third-country nationals or stateless persons as beneficiaries of international protection, for a uniform status for refugees or for persons eligible for subsidiary protection, and for the content of the protection granted |
R |
|
| Reservist | A reservist is a Syrian man who has previously completed his mandatory military service in Syria and can still be called up for reserve service in the Syrian Arab Forces |
S |
|
| SAA | Syrian Arab Army |
| SDF | Syrian Democratic Forces |
| Sharia | The religious law of Islam, Islamic canonical law |
| SNA | Syrian National Army |
| SNHR | Syrian Network for Human Rights |
| Suqour al-Sahara | Desert Hawks; former irregular armed group supportive of Assad in Syria backed by wealthy Syrian Alawites |
T |
|
| Taqrir | A report |
| Taswiyat al-Wad´ | The process of regulating one’s status |
U |
|
| UN | United Nations |
| UNCOI | Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic |
| UNHCR | United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees |
| UNICEF | United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund |
| UNOCHA | United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs |
| UNPFA | United Nations Population Fund |
| UNRWA | The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East |
| US | United States of America |
| USDOS | United States Department of State |
| UXO | Unexploded ordnance |
W |
|
| Wasta | Networks of support based on patronage |
| WFP | UN World Food Programme |
Y |
|
| YPG | Kurdish People’s Protection Units |
| YPJ | Kurdish Women’s Protection Units |