On footsteps of Turkey, Lebanon forcibly deports Syrians

Security officials and a humanitarian source told AFP on Friday that Lebanon has deported dozens of Syrians to the war-torn country who have fled as anti-Syrian sentiment grows amid an acute economic crisis.

A relative said that one of the deported Syrians defected from the army, warning that "his life is in danger."

"The army has deported more than 50 Syrians from Lebanon over the past two weeks," a military official told AFP.Another security official said dozens of Syrians had been expelled.

They said that a Lebanese army intelligence unit attacked undocumented Syrians, and arrested them, then handed them over to border guards, after that expelled them from Lebanon.

Hundreds of thousands of Syrians fled to neighboring Lebanon after the crisis began in 2011, as a result of the brutal crackdown on protests against the Damascus government.

The authorities say that Lebanon hosts about two million Syrian refugees, while nearly 830,000 are registered with the United Nations. Lebanese authorities have long insisted for the return of Syrian refugees, and have undertaken several repatriation efforts that they describe as voluntary, but rights groups say are coercive.

Similar to Lebanon, the Turkish authorities have previously forced thousands of Syrians to forcibly return to areas under Turkish occupation in northern Syria as part of a plan to change the demographic composition.

Turkey continues to pursue these policies against the Syrians, as the Syrian refugees in Turkey find themselves between two options, the best is bitter. Staying in Turkish territory exposes them to humiliation and harassment.

a.k

ANHA