Syrian Man Stuck in Kuala Lumpur Airport Says He Fears Deportation

Hassan al-Kontar is a Syrian man who has been stuck in Kuala Lumpur International Airport since March 7.Al-Kontar told Storyful that he was deported from the UAE in October 2017 when his work visa expired.He decided to travel to Malaysia, but says he was refused a visa that would allow him an extended stay there. He says he tried Cambodia, but was also refused entry. He also describes trying to get to Ecuador, which, he says, requires no entry visa from Syrians; but, he says, he was not allowed board a Turkish Airlines flight.He is now stuck in Malaysia, he says.“I don’t know what to do,” he says in a March 29 video, “there is no hope.”Al-Kontar says that he hasn’t been to Syria for almost eight years and that he can’t go back. “Sending me to Syria is a death sentence,” he told Storyful, saying his return would mean conscription into the military. He said he did not want to fight against fellow Syrians. Credit: @Kontar81 via Storyful