By Muhammad al-Qadi
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The killing of a Lebanese official on April 7 has re-surfaced the issue of the Syrian refugees in Lebanon, as the Lebanese army claimed that the official was killed by Syrians who transported his body to Syria.
The incident has fueled indiscriminate attacks against Syrian refugees, as footage on social media platforms documented multiple assaults in several areas in Beirut against Syrian workers and individuals, including women.
On April 8, the Lebanese army announced that Syrian kidnappers killed Pascal Sleiman, a local Lebanese political official belonging to a party that opposes the Lebanese Hezbollah.
Reasons
Noura Ghazi, a lawyer and director of Nophotozone Organization, told North Press that seeking asylum sparks reactions towards refugees, as these violations happen against all refugees from all nationalities and in all countries of asylum, not only in Lebanon.
She adds that the case is different with Lebanon. It is already a crumbled state and ruled by militias, not to mention that the “Syrian regime” was similar to an occupier of Lebanon, which the people greatly suffered from.
Nophotozone is a non-profit organization that supports detainees, families of the disappeared, and displaced persons through legal aid and empowerment.
Some Lebanese consider Syrian refugees are the ones who occupied their country, so “We cannot convince all Lebanese that we, as Syrians, also have suffered from this regime,” Ghazi said.
The number of Syrian refugees is significantly large and they have stayed in Lebanon for too long. Syrians are suffering there because they cannot return to their home or stay in Lebanon where the situation is dangerous.
A report published by Human Rights Watch (HRW) indicated that Lebanese authorities have unlawfully arrested, mistreated, and forcibly deported Syrian refugees back to Syria.
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).
Moreover, there are some refugees who visit Syria and return to Lebanon again, generalizing the idea that Syria is safe but the refugees do not want to go back, according to Ghazi.
The Lebanese government provokes rumors from time to time that the Syrian refugees receive big amounts of money from UNHCR, abetting the population against the refugees, Ghazi pointed out.
Generalization
“Syrians cannot be blamed for what is happening, as they are humans and some of them make mistakes,” she said.
“The problem is that those mistakes are generalized to all Syrian refugees and this is not only in Lebanon, but in all the countries that host Syrian refugees,” Ghazi added.
The lawyer pointed out that the Lebanese Army cannot even protect the Lebanese people, so how can they protect refugees against violations.
She underscored that many governments blame Syrian refugees as the case with Turkey and Lebanon, claiming Syrian refugees form a part of their crises in a bid to justify their corruption and failure.
Concerns
Syrian refugees in Beirut told North Press that they stay at home after receiving many threats of being deported.
Ibrahim Hassan, a pseudonym of a Syrian refugee residing and working in the town of Bourj Hammoud in the northeast of Beirut, told North Press that all their shops are closed because they were told to evacuate them.
“We are hiding in our houses because we fear being assaulted,” he said.
Meanwhile, Maya Muhammad, a pseudonym of a Syrian refugee residing in Bourj Hammoud, told North Press that following the recent incidents, Syrians who live in this area were subjected to many harassments and threats.
Muhammad indicated that threat videos were posted online calling on Syrians to leave the area. “It is difficult. We cannot leave,” she said.
“If we had the option to leave, we would. No one in the world can stand this racism. Even going back to Syria is not possible because my husband is wanted by the security branches [of the Syrian government forces],” Muhammad added.
She pointed out that UNHCR is doing nothing concerning what is happening. “It seems that it is not concerned with our affairs,” she said.
Solutions
Ghazi said that whatever UNHCR does, it will fail to support all the Syrian refugees, as their number is large and it is not clear when the Syrian conflict will end.
“So what can the UNHCR do with all those refugees, particularly after changes in international priorities, as donors and the international community have turned their attention to other matters,” according to the lawyer.
Some countries are normalizing relations with the Syrian government, whereas areas out of its control in Syria are not safe enough for refugees to return to, she indicated.
In May 2023, Syria was readmitted to the Arab League after more than 10 years of suspension.
Many western and Arab countries cut ties with the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over using force against anti-government protests that sparked the war in 2011.
“The issue of the Syrian refugees is one of the most serious and outstanding issues, which only a comprehensive political solution for the Syrian conflict will solve,” Ghazi added.
She believes the solution to the Syrian conflict will not meet the hopes and aspirations of the Syrian people, adding the international community will not undertake a real political transition. She expects the situation for Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Turkey and even in Europe, will get worse.