A Syrian national from Idlib, ethnic Arab of Sunni Muslim faith, applied for international protection in Cyprus on 8 January 2024. He submitted that he left his country for financial reasons, as his father is unable to work, he is the eldest child in the family, and must financially support his large family. On 24 August 2025, the Asylum Service notified the applicant of the rejection of his asylum request and decision for his return. The applicant subsequently appealed, arguing that there is no security in his country. During the court hearing, he stated that the situation in Syria is not good and there is still armed violence, intimidation, and arrests in Idlib.

The International Protection Administrative Court (IPAC) upheld the Asylum Service’s decision.

The IPAC considered that the relevant material facts had been correctly identified by the Asylum Service and that research into official sources was sufficient, complete, and up to date, which had correctly led the competent officer to conclude that there was no real risk of serious harm upon return to Idlib. The IPAC noted that during the interview, no critical data or facts were presented to substantiate a real, personal, and present risk in a clear and specific way. Drawing from the EUAA COI Report - Syria: Country Focus (July 2025), and the EASO COI Report - Syria: Targeting of Individuals (March 2020), the court noted that Sunni Arabs constitute the largest ethno-religious group in Syria and that, while the Assad regime had favoured Alawites, the transitional government, security services and the Fatwa council is now largely composed by Sunni Arabs. The court noted that rebel attacks by Assad's Alawite militias against the transitional government and Sunni communities have declined and are now occurring with less frequency than in March 2025. With regards to the financial aspect of the applicant’s claim, citing paragraph 62 of the UNHCR Handbook on Procedures and Criteria for Determining Refugee Status, the IPAC held that the finding that the applicant is an economic migrant was reasonably based on the evidence presented to the Asylum Service. Therefore, the IPAC upheld the conclusion that the applicant failed to establish a well-founded fear of persecution upon return, and subsequently examined and discard rejected whether he would face a real risk of serious harm. To reach this conclusion, the IPAC conducted an updated investigation in court, focusing on clarifying the existence of a real risk of serious harm in the applicant's habitual residence area, Idlib.

Citing War Watch, the IPAC noted that Syria continues to be involved in international and non-international armed conflicts, with significant damage to civilians through direct and indiscriminate attacks, including mass killings of Alawite and Druze communities, which the new government has failed to prevent. The IPAC stated that civilians were targeted in residential and rural areas, while mines and improvised explosive devices caused daily casualties, including children. Airstrikes and gunfire regularly hit homes, markets, schools, hospitals, dams, airports, and cultural and religious sites, disrupting essential services and leading to mass displacement of populations. Then, citing the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data platform (ACLED), the IPAC noted that in provinces such as Aleppo, Idlib, Hama, and Raqqa, armed groups that have now been integrated into the transitional government's security structure have taken over the defence of the territory, focusing on local policing.

Focusing on Idlib, and citing the EUAA COI Report - Syria: Country Focus (July 2025), the IPAC noted that the governorate is almost entirely under the control of the transitional government, although its forces remain fragmented. Some small areas on the southern and western borders are characterized by a "pro-regime guerrilla presence". And reports also indicated the presence of foreign jihadists. In March 2025, transitional government forces launched targeted security operations and set up checkpoints across the province to enhance security in the region. The Harmoon Center described Idlib as "relatively stable" compared to other provinces, with new security forces maintaining firm control despite occasional external threats.

Citing the EUAA Country Guidance on Syria (December 2025), the court concluded that indiscriminate violence is taking place in Idlib but it does not reach a high level, therefore and following the consideration in CJEU judgments Diakite and Elgafaji, to apply Article 15(c) of the recast Qualification Directive (QD), individual elements are required that would increase the risk of the applicant compared to the average population of the area. The IPAC noted that the applicant is an adult man, married, father of seven children, without health problems or vulnerabilities, who has not experienced any previous persecution, with a work background and a strong family support network. Based on these, the IPAC concluded that the applicant had failed to demonstrate a well-founded fear of persecution on any of the Refugee Convention grounds and that there were no substantial grounds to believe the applicant would be at risk of suffering serious harm if returned to Syria.