The undersigned organizations express their deep concern over the new policy of the Lebanese authorities towards Palestinian Refugees from Syria.
Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that « everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution». While Syrians have relatively easy access to the Lebanese territory , many reports show that measures are being taken to deny Palestinian refugees from Syria access to and stay in Lebanon.
Morover, dozens of Palestinians from Syria have reportedly been expelled from Lebanon to Syria on May 4, 2014 in violation of article 3 of the Convention against Torture ratified by Lebanon that provides that « No State Party shall expel, return (“refouler”) or extradite a person to another State where there are substantial grounds for believing that he would be in danger of being subjected to torture. (…) The competent authorities shall take into account all relevant considerations including, where applicable, the existence in the State concerned of a consistent pattern of gross, flagrant or mass violations of human rights. »
We firmly condemn these discriminatory measures and violations and express our solidarity with the refugees in general and the Palestinians from Syria in particular.We urge the Lebanese authorities to grant the Palestinians from Syria the same rights as to the Syrians and to respect their international Human rights commitments.
Signatories:
– ACAT – France (Action by Christians Against Torture)
– Alkarama Foundation
– Anti Racism Movement – Lebanon
– CLDH – Lebanese Center for Human Rights
– EMHRN – Euro Mediterranean Human Rights Network
– FEMED – Euro Mediterranean Federation Against Enforced Disappearances
– PHRO – Palestinian Human Rights Organization
– Working Together for Human Rights (AEDH – France)