(Zaman Al Wasl) After years of operating freely, the local council in Azaz city in Aleppo’s northern countryside issued a decision to close all the shops and offices that produce forged documents such as identity cards, passports and educational certificates giving the shop and office owners a maximum of 15 days to close.
The decision issued in recent days has received mixed reactions from local inhabitants as some support the decision as it fights counterfeiting and the widespread availability of false educational diplomas. Others opposed the decision citing the impossibility of issuing official documents from the Syrian state offices for anyone opposing the al-Assad regime or for those displaced in the recent displacement waves to northern Syria.
“The decision came after consultations with the police and the security forces in the city," said Mohammad al-Haj Ali, the head of the local council in Azaz city. He explained the reasons behind issuing the decision, “There are many cases of false educational certificates obtained by citizens from these offices to apply for certain jobs."
Haji al-Ali said to Zaman al-Wasl. “This phenomenon is very big, and there have been several cases where people claimed they have university degrees, but after an auditing process, it emerged they have only middle school or high school certificate at the highest estimation.”
“Most of the displaced people come from the eastern regions, and they quickly obtained false identities using a name and (biographical) data of unknown origin,” he said. “Regarding security, this causes serious problems, and some of these offices give false identities to people who are not even Syrian. Those people then travel to different European countries on the basis they are Syrians, and this is a very serious issue, and it has significant consequences.”
On the subject of passports, al-Haj Ali said, “We have contacted several parties including the interim government and the Turkish government, but to date, there is no solution to this dilemma.” He stressed that there is a population directorate which issues civil status documents, birth and marriage certificates which are recognized in all the liberated areas in northern Syria.
In the town of Azaz where many of the document offices are located, people responded differently to the local council’s decision.
“I support the decision to close these offices, but before deciding to close them, it is necessary to provide alternatives for the displaced civilians who have lost their official documents that prove their identity, especially those coming from Aleppo city to the northwestern countryside since food and shelter assistance or even being allowed to live a camp requires identity documents even if they are forged,” said Abdul Rahman Hassoun a local resident from Azaz.
Abdul Qader Yusef said, “We, as civilians, will be harmed by this decision, because there is no alternative to these offices, especially regarding the issue of identity cards and passports that interest all citizen for their movement and travel.” He added, “Instead of closing these offices, a mechanism should be put in place to monitor anyone who wants to issue an identity card or a certificate because many of the displaced people who come from the eastern areas arrive without any identification papers.”
Dozens of offices were opened at the beginning of the revolution in the town of Azaz, and they issued different documents, certificates and forged identity cards. All the documents and certificates issued in areas outside regime control are not internationally recognized as valid.
Thousands of Syrians have lost their official documents such as identity cards or educational certificates due to their displacement or as a result of the security situation. Many of those displaced by the al-Assad regime's bombing Syria’s cities and towns were unable to obtain new identity documents from the regime authorities due to their displacement or for fear of arrest.
Zaman A Wasl
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