This brief report is a follow-up on the issue of control and examination procedures at checkpoints at the entrances to Damascus Province. This issue was previously addressed in a joint fact finding report by DIS and DRC, Syria, Security Situation in Damascus Province and Issues Regarding Return to Syria, published in February 2019. In that report, it was noted that “people originating from former opposition-held areas and people who resided in such areas are subject to scrutiny or problems when approaching checkpoints”. For a further elaboration on the kind of scrutiny an individual could face, please see the DIS and DRC report from February 2019.

The report at hand focuses on factors which could potentially cause scrutiny and problems for individuals from former rebel-held areas intending to enter Damascus Province. In this regard, the report will among other things look into the significance of the individual’s place of stay and his/her place of origin/registration, opposition groups that formerly controlled the area, and when the government retook control over the area.