EuroMed Rights is extremely concerned regarding the recent wave of arrests of refugees in Lebanon and their deportation back to Syria.
Since mid-April 2023, the Lebanese authorities have raided houses of Syrian refugees across the country, detained them and arbitrary deported at least 50 of them to Syria, handing them over to the Syria Army across the Wadi Khaled and the Masnaa border crossing points.
According to reliable sources, among the people who were deported, some were reportedly arrested by the Syrian Army upon return to Syria.
In a context of increased political and dire socio-economic crisis, the government has been using Syrian refugees as scapegoats for these multiple crises, reinforcing discriminatory rhetoric and hate speech, and increasing returns.
By deporting people back to Syria, a country that still practices torture, Lebanon is violating Article 3 of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (ratified in October 2000).
“Promoting ‘voluntary return’ or ‘safe return’ is not new in Lebanon, and mainly lies in the need of a corrupt regime and those close to it to create a balance capable of containing the current popular tension. But the campaign that Lebanon has been witnessing for weeks has gone beyond its usual limits by promoting return, without a clear plan at the risk of refugees’ lives.” declared EuroMed Rights’ President Wadih Al-Asmar in an interview with Daraj media.
The Lebanese government must abide by its obligations under international treaties and customary international law, including its obligation not to deport or forcibly return individuals at risk of torture and to respect the principle of non-refoulement. This means immediately halting arbitrary deportations of Syrians from Lebanon to Syria, and adopting policies that guarantee the necessary protection of Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
The EU, its Member States, donors and the international community must call on Lebanon to stop these deportations now, to provide Syrian refugees with adequate protection, integration and access to fundamental rights (including access to labour, health, accommodation and education) and must increase resettlements out of Lebanon.