HRW says Lebanon deports Syrian refugees by force
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report published on Thursday that Lebanese authorities have unlawfully arrested, mistreated, and forcibly deported Syrian refugees back to Syria.
“Lebanese authorities have arbitrarily detained, tortured, and forcibly returned Syrians to Syria in recent months, including opposition activists and army defectors,” HRW said.
On April 8, the Lebanese army said Syrian nationals killed Pascal Sleiman, a local Lebanese political official .Following the killing of Sleiman, Lebanese officials urged the need for Syrians to leave Lebanon, leading to increased violence against Syrians.
Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch said, “Lebanese officials have for years imposed discriminatory practices against Syrians in the country as a way of coercing them to return to Syria, which remains unsafe.”
“Arbitrarily arresting, torturing, or deporting Syrians who face a well-founded risk of persecution if returned are additional blights on Lebanon’s refugee record,” he added.
HRW’s report pointed out that throughout April, reports emerged of Syrians being physically assaulted and pressured to vacate their residences in various parts of Lebanon, as local authorities imposed biased curfews that unjustly limited the Syrians’ freedom of movement.
The report stressed that deporting Syrian opposition activists and army defectors from Lebanon goes against the country’s responsibilities as a signatory to the U.N. Convention Against Torture and the international law principle of nonrefoulement, which prohibits the forced return of individuals to nations where they may be subjected to torture or persecution.
“Donor countries providing funds and other assistance to Lebanon’s security and military services should ensure that any funds or equipment provided to Lebanon are not being used to commit rights violations,” Kaiss said.
Figures released by the government of Lebanon in December 2023 estimate that the country hosts approximately 1.5 million Syrian refugees, of whom 800,000 are registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).