​​​​​​​135 Syrian organizations call for the protection of refugees in Lebanon

On Sunday, 135 Syrian organizations issued a written statement to demand the protection of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, stating:

“The Lebanese authorities must immediately stop forcibly deporting Syrian refugees to their country, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Lebanon must protect them and facilitate their passage to north-eastern Syria.

For quite some time now, Syrian refugees in Lebanon have been subjected to many methods of repression through continuous raids, the arrest of some and their deportation to Syria under the pretext of the expiration of the residency card or illegal entry into Lebanon, which exposes them to various types of risks, including arrest, torture, death or long-term imprisonment.

It seems clear that these practices may continue and may include large numbers of refugees, which means that the danger will continue and steadily increase to be an integral and auxiliary part of the ongoing normalization attempts.

The signatories to this statement express their concern about the forced deportation of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, amid fears that they will be at risk of torture or persecution upon their return to Syria.

International covenants prohibit the return of any refugee to a place where his life might be in danger, and the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria previously declared, in a speech delivered before the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, on October 25, 2021: “This is not the time for him to think No one believes that Syria is safe and that refugees can return to their homes, but there is an escalation in fighting and violence.”

After the outbreak of the conflict in Syria, many of its people sought refuge in Lebanon, and the Lebanese authorities currently estimate that there are more than two million refugees on its territory, while the number registered with the United Nations slightly exceeds the threshold of 800,000.

Under the pretext of a decrease in the intensity of the battles and conflict, the Lebanese state is applying continuous and various pressures to deport the refugees from its lands, but this does not mean - according to the organizations that signed the statement - that the return of the refugees has become safe in light of the crumbling infrastructure, difficult economic conditions, security prosecutions, arbitrary arrests and torture of detainees.

The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria has announced, in more than one statement, to more than one official about the refugees and the possibility of their relief and rescue from these practices, as was the words of the AANES’ representatives on April 30, 2023, when they announced the administration’s readiness to receive the Syrian refugees who are being deported from Lebanon, in NE, Syria, and that its doors are open to all Syrians without discrimination.

Based on this positive initiative and at a time when we appreciate this management position despite the difficulties of the situation and the complexities of circumstances.

We - the organizations that signed this statement - support this national humanitarian initiative, and we call on the Lebanese authorities to immediately stop forcibly deporting Syrian refugees to Syria, and that these organizations support the Autonomous Administration's initiative to receive refugees, in order to ward off the fears posed by their return to the areas of the Syrian government for their lives.

It also calls on UN bodies to take the necessary measures to protect Syrian refugees and guarantee their rights, including:

Providing a safe passage to facilitate the return of Syrian refugees who are being deported from Lebanon and other Syrian neighboring countries, to the areas of north-eastern Syria, where the authorities have declared their readiness to receive and shelter them.

Provide adequate support to camps and shelters for the internally displaced, including shelter, water, food, medicine, and basic services.

- Re-opening the Al-Yarubiyah/Tal Koçer border crossing for the entry of UN humanitarian aid into northern and north-eastern Syria.

T/ Satt.

ANHA