Luxembourg’s freeze on Syrian asylum applications has left 850 refugees in legal limbo since late 2024 – a policy pause that almost turned deadly when one desperate applicant attempted suicide outside the National Reception Office.

Since the Luxembourg government halted the processing of asylum applications from Syrian refugees following the regime change in late 2024, around 850 Syrian nationals have been left in uncertainty.

The decision was made to await clarity on Syria’s evolving geopolitical situation, but the prolonged delay has taken a toll on applicants. Last week, the situation reached a breaking point when one asylum seeker attempted to take their own life in front of the National Reception Office (ONA) in an act of desperation.

How did it come to this?

By May 2025, Lokman Mousa will have spent two years seeking a new life in Europe after fleeing his homeland. His journey, however, has been far from hopeful. The almost 30-year-old left his hometown of Hasaka in northeastern Syria, travelling through Turkey and Bulgaria before enduring weeks of hardship in the Balkan forests.

Upon arriving in Luxembourg, stability remained elusive. Over the past 20 months, Mousa has moved between Kirchberg, Esch-sur-Alzette, Strassen, and Mersch, struggling to adapt to life in refugee accommodations. He feels particularly disadvantaged as a Syrian, adrift in an unfamiliar system.

Mousa’s prospects were limited even before his displacement.

In Syria, his education was cut short, leaving him fluent only in Arabic and Kurdish. Forced into agricultural work early on, he laboured in Hasaka’s harsh climate – a region predominantly inhabited by Kurds. In 2015, ISIS attacked the area, prompting the Syrian army’s withdrawal. Though Kurdish militias later reclaimed the territory, instability still persists.

During an interview with our colleagues from RTL Télé, Mousa shared a video showing Turkish military forces attacking civilians in his home region.

The fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024 and the subsequent interim government have failed to bring stability – particularly in Kurdish regions. Mousa explains that tensions with neighbouring Turkey have only escalated, making return an unthinkable option.

Devastated by European governments’ suspension of Syrian asylum applications, Mousa finds himself trapped in limbo. With no prospects for the future and his mental resilience wearing thin, he increasingly isolates himself, wandering the streets. His dream of building a safer, better life in Europe now seems further out of reach than ever.

Full report by RTL Télé (in Luxembourgish)