Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused Lebanon and Cyprus of violating the human rights of Syrian refugees with oblique monetary help from the European Union (EU) in a report launched Wednesday. HRW detailed how each nations intercepted and forcibly returned refugees to Syria in a coordinated effort to forestall them from in search of asylum in Europe.
Based on the human rights group, Syrian refugees who tried to go away Lebanon by boat have been intercepted by the Lebanese military after which expelled to Syria. In the meantime, the Cypriot Coast Guard intercepted refugees who reached Cyprus, sending them again to Lebanon, the place they typically confronted speedy deportation to Syria. These findings have been based mostly on interviews with 16 Syrian refugees who tried to flee Lebanon between August 2021 and September 2023. One refugee recounted how Cypriot officers used a taser and baton on her husband, leading to extreme accidents earlier than forcing them again to Lebanon. Moreover, HRW reviewed images, movies, and different monitoring information to corroborate the refugees’ accounts.
These actions have drawn criticism from the human rights group, which argues that Lebanon’s expulsions violate its obligations below the UN Convention Against Torture and the principle of non-refoulement. Cyprus’ actions are additionally deemed unlawful below the European Conference on Human Rights, which prohibits collective expulsions and oblique refoulement.
HRW additionally highlights the EU’s function in funding these operations, noting that the EU and its member states supplied Lebanon with as much as €16.7 million between 2020 and 2023 to reinforce its border administration capabilities. In Could 2024, the EU allocated an extra €1 billion to Lebanon for related functions by way of 2027, together with funding for the Lebanese Armed Forces. HRW argues that these funds have successfully supported Lebanon’s violations of worldwide legislation, significantly the precept of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning refugees to nations the place they face persecution or hazard.
Nadia Hardman, a refugee and migrant rights researcher at HRW, criticized the EU’s involvement, stating:
By stopping Syrian refugees from leaving to hunt safety elsewhere, after which forcibly returning them to Syria, Lebanon violates the basic prohibition on returning a refugee to face persecution, whereas the European Union helps pay the payments
The report additionally sheds gentle on the broader context of Lebanon’s refugee disaster. Internet hosting the world’s highest variety of refugees per capita, together with 1.5 million Syrians, Lebanon is grappling with extreme financial challenges which have exacerbated the desperation of refugees in search of to go away. Many refugees view irregular boat crossings as their solely choice for locating security and a greater life in Europe, given the shortage of authorized migration pathways and the continued risk of persecution in Syria.
Source / Picture: jurist.org
