Human Rights Watch condemns Lebanese Armed Forces for summary deportations of Syrian refugees

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On Wednesday, the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) were condemned for their alleged arbitrary arrests and summary deportations of thousands of Syrians, including unaccompanied children, back to Syria between April and May 2023, according to a statement released by Human Rights Watch (HRW).

The statement indicated that the LAF carried out these deportations without considering the individuals' refugee status or the potential risks they might face if returned to Syria. The summary deportations, which have intensified since January 1, have primarily targeted Syrians residing in Lebanon without legal status, according to the organization.

Ramzi Kaiss, a Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch, expressed deep concern over the situation, stating, "Lebanon is hosting the largest number of refugees per capita in the world amid a grueling economic crisis, but this is no excuse to round up Syrians and dump them over the border into the hands of their abusive government."

In May and June 2023, Human Rights Watch interviewed 11 Syrian men who were deported back to Syria and five relatives of arbitrarily arrested and deported individuals.

The organization also spoke with ten representatives of international and national civil society organizations and members of the humanitarian community dedicated to assisting Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

Human Rights Watch sent letters containing their research findings to the LAF and the Directorate of General Security on June 8 and requested their responses. In their response on June 22, the LAF claimed that they were implementing a decision from the Higher Defense Council on April 24, 2019, to deport Syrians who entered Lebanon irregularly after that date.

The LAF argued that their actions were following the outcome of an April 26 ministerial meeting, which affirmed measures against violators who entered illegally without official documentation.

Though there are no official public statistics on the number of arrests or deportations, a humanitarian source revealed that since April 2023, there have been over 100 raids, 2,200 arrests, and 1,800 deportations of Syrian refugees. Humanitarian workers described the recent wave of deportations as the most severe, said HRW.

During all documented deportation cases, the LAF failed to allow deportees to challenge their deportation. Even when deportees informed the army that they were registered as refugees with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and feared being returned to Syria, their pleas were disregarded.

The organization said that the summary deportations conducted by the LAF are a clear violation of Lebanese law, which mandates that deportations be carried out through a judicial authority or, in exceptional cases, by the decision of the General Director of General Security, based on an evaluation of individual circumstances.

These deportations also contravene Lebanon's obligations as a party to the UN Convention Against Torture and the principle of nonrefoulement under customary international law, which prohibits the forced return of individuals to countries where they face a clear risk of torture or persecution, the organization added.

Moreover, the detention, ill-treatment of children, family separation, and other abuses committed during these deportations infringe upon Lebanon's obligations regarding children's rights, based on the statement.

Human Rights Watch called on Lebanese authorities to reform residency regulations, reintroduce UNHCR registration, waive residency renewal fees, and end detaining and deporting refugees based on expired residency documents.

Furthermore, governments funding the LAF were urged to pressure the military to cease the summary deportations of Syrians.

Donor governments were also called upon to develop a public human rights impact assessment and advocate for an independent reporting mechanism to ensure that funding does not contribute to or perpetuate human rights violations.