People protest in NW Syria against deporting Syrians from Lebanon
IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – On Friday, several areas in northwestern Syria witnessed demonstrations and vigils organized by residents and activists, denouncing the forced deportation of Syrian refugees by the Lebanese authorities to Syrian territory.
Local sources from the region told North Press that the city of Idlib, northwestern Syria, and the cities of Afrin, Azaz, and al-Bab, witnessed demonstrations in which dozens of residents participated, denouncing the forcible deportation of Syrian refugees by the Lebanese authorities to government-controlled areas, considering it a war crime.
The demonstrators call for putting an end to these “racist practices” against refugees, stressed the illegality of forced deportations, and warned that forcible deportation of refugees would expose them to arrest, torture, and perhaps murder by the Syrian government.
On April 25, Amnesty International, a human rights advocacy organization, called on the Lebanese authorities to “halt illegal deportation operations of Syrian refugees” for fear that they may face “torture or persecution” by the Syrian government.
Lebanon is witnessing incitement against Syrians on social media amid spike in racist rhetoric, in addition to the perpetration of attacks and violations against them by Lebanese citizens under the pretext of the deteriorating economic situation in the country.
On Friday evening, a vigil organized by residents of the city of al-Bab, east of Aleppo, as the protestors hold banners tagged with “Save the Syrians in Lebanon”, denouncing Lebanon’s policy of deporting the Syrian refugees.
An exclusive source told North Press that the protesters raised slogans denouncing the pressure of the Lebanese authorities on the Syrian refugees by arresting them and handing them over to the Syrian government.
Earlier, activists in the region called for a vigil in the cities and towns of Aleppo countryside, to denounce the forced deportation of Syrians from Lebanon, according to the source.
The demonstrators called for stopping the deportations pursued by the Lebanese authorities against the refugees, according to the source.
On Friday, dozens of Lebanese and Syrians protested in Tripoli, the largest city in northern Lebanon, against the forcibly deportation of Syrian refugees from Lebanon.
According to official estimates, the number of Syrian refugees residing in Lebanon is about 1.5 million, while the number registered with the UNHCR is approximately 880,000, and they go through severe and substandard conditions.