(Zaman Al Wasl)- Participants in the Refugees' Rights Defenders initiative called for stopping the procedures of forcible deportation of refugees to Syria due to its violation of Article 3 of the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which Lebanon signed in 2000.
The participants stressed that these measures would be counterproductive for deported refugees who are at risk of persecution, torture, death and forced participation in armed conflict in some areas of Syria, whether through armed groups or under conscription. The participants emphasized the obligation to ensure the right of the refugee to a lawyer upon arrest for any reason, in accordance with the provisions of the Lebanese Code of Criminal Procedure (Article 47), as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the above mentioned UN Convention.
The Mediterranean country of around 4.5 million people says it hosts some 1.5 million Syrians, of which nearly a million are UN-registered refugees.
The participants informed Lebanese officials that the continued deterioration of the human rights situation of Syrian refugees in Lebanon would lead to disastrous long-term consequences, stressing the need for the Lebanese government to apply the content of both domestic laws and international conventions regarding the protection of Syrian refugees residing in Lebanon.
The initiative was attended by Access Center for Human Rights, the Syrian American Council, the Lebanese Center for Human Rights, the Irish Syria Solidarity Movement, and the Center for Defense of Liberties and Civil Rights.
Lebanese politicians routinely blame the country's economic and other woes on Syrian refugees and the government has ratcheted up the pressure to send them back.
Rights groups have decried measures to make the lives of refugees increasingly difficult.
Since June, more than 3,600 Syrian families have seen their shelters demolished in the eastern region of Arsal, according to local authorities.
Homes made of anything other than timber and plastic sheeting are not allowed.
In August, the Lebanese army destroyed a further 350 structures in the north of the country and arrested dozens of people for lacking residency documents, humanitarian groups said.
The labour ministry, meanwhile, is cracking down on foreign workers without a permit, a move activists say largely targets Syrians.
Eight years of war in Syria have killed 560,000 people and driven half the pre-war population of 22 million from their homes, including more than 6 million as refugees to neighboring countries.
Zaman Al Wasl
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