I was so surprised, and so afraid, said al-Khalil, 28, who has lived in Denmark since 2015.
She fears that if she s sent back, she could face arrest, violence, or even rape at the hands of the Assad regime.
Al-Khalil told
The Current s Matt Galloway that she left Syria when she was 20Â to escape fighting in the early years of the country s 10-year civil war. She spent time in Lebanon and Turkey, before crossing the Mediterranean in a rubber boat, and making her way across Europe.Â
Danish officials granted her a residence permit in 2016, but have now decided a lack of fighting around Damascus means refugees from the city and surrounding area could safely return. (The country is largely back under the control of Bashar al-Assad, with fighting contained in the north.)