2023-05-11 15:22:43
The Lebanese armed forces have recently returned to hundreds of Syrian people summarily to Syria, where they risk facing persecution or torture. These expulsions are accompanied by an alarming rise in rhetoric against refugees in Lebanon and other coercive measures aimed at putting pressure on refugees to return to their country of origin, a group made up of 20 national and international organizations said today. .
Since the beginning of April, Lebanese armed forces carry out discriminatory raids on homes of Syrian refugees from different neighborhoods throughout Lebanon, such as Mount Lebanon, Jounieh, Qob Elias and Bourj Hammoud; most of these people are immediately expelled. Many of those returned were registered with or knew of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Several deportees told Amnesty International that they had not had access to legal counsel or the opportunity to speak to UNHCR, and had not been given the right to challenge the deportation or plead their case for protection.
“The Lebanese authorities have deliberately mismanaged the country’s economic crisis, leaving millions of people impoverished and deprived of their basic rights. However, instead of embracing the necessary reforms, they have resorted to using refugees as scapegoats for their own failures. There is nothing that justifies pulling hundreds of Syrian people – men, women, boys and girls – out of their beds in the wee hours of the morning to hand them over to the government from which they fled”, the aforementioned organizations have stated.
The people interviewed – some of them refugees registered with UNHCR since 2012 – explained to the organizations that the Lebanese armed forces were driving the refugee population to the border to expel them and hand them over directly to the Syrian authorities. Some of these people were detained or disappeared upon their return to Syria.
Local and international organizations continue to document appalling human rights violations by Syrian military and security forces against Syrian returnees —including minors— such as illegitimate or arbitrary detention, torture and other ill-treatment, rape and sexual violence, and forced disappearances.
The expulsions have been accompanied by other measures aimed at coercing Syrian refugees to return to Syria. In different Lebanese municipalities, discriminatory measures have been imposed against Syrians, such as curfews to limit their movement and restrictions on renting houses. In addition, some local authorities have demanded that the Syrian population communicate their personal data – identity documents, residence cards and proof of address, among others – threatening expulsion in case of non-compliance.
The coercive and hostile refugee environment has been exacerbated by an alarming increase in anti-refugee rhetoric, in some cases fueled by local authorities and political forces.
The Lebanese media have been criticized for their use of language regarding the Syrian population, which has increased tensions between host communities and refugees.
These recent events have created an environment of hostility, which has unleashed anxiety and panic among the Syrian community in Lebanon. Refugees in Lebanon report living in fear of expulsion or attacks; many claim not to have left their home for weeks.
“Increased rhetoric against refugees – much of it based on misinformation – contributes to violence and discrimination against them. The media and political figures should protect the rights of all people in Lebanon, including refugees, and not incite violence against them,” the organizations said.
As a state party to the Convention against Torture, Lebanon is obliged not to return or extradite anyone at risk of torture. Lebanon is also bound by the customary international law principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning people to a place where they risk persecution or other serious human rights violations.
Under Lebanese law, deportation orders can only be issued by a judicial authority or by decision of the General Director of General Security, in exceptional cases and on the basis of an individual assessment.
Lebanon must end summary expulsions to Syria, which violate the principle of non-refoulement. The authorities must refrain from imposing discriminatory measures and using derogatory language against Syrian refugees. In addition, they must respect due process and ensure that anyone at risk of deportation to Syria has access to legal counsel, the opportunity to communicate with UNHCR, and the option to plead their case before a competent court to seek protection and oppose their deportation. . The courts must prohibit any expulsion that is tantamount to a return.
The international community must also meet its obligations and strengthen its assistance – specifically its resettlement programs and alternative pathways – so that Lebanon can address the presence of the estimated 1.5 million refugees in the country. In 2022, 13 countries resettled only 7,490 Syrian refugees residing in Lebanon.
signatories:
International Amnesty
Human Rights Watch
The Legal Agenda
The Syria Campaign
The Syrian Network for Human Rights
Synaps
Refugee Protection Watch coalition
Samir Kassir Foundation
Daraj Media
SMEX
Alternative Press Syndicate (Nakaba Badila)
Media Association for Peace (MAP)
Helium
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