The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR): Deporting Syrian refugees from Lebanon is a violation against human rights

The director of the Syrian Network for Human Rights, Fadel Abdul Ghany, said: ” Deporting the Syrian refugees from Lebanon and handing over the Syrian prisoners in Roumieh prison to the Assad regime is a violation against human rights and international norms.”

This declaration came during a statement he issued to media outlets.

Abdul Ghany added: some prisoners in Roumieh prison committed offences and had a court judgement.

Abdul Ghany made it clear that Lebanon has been recently selecting the convicts in Roumieh prison and handing them over to Assad regime.

Abdul Ghany added: “We have a great concern because the convicts are supposed to serve their sentences in Lebanon according to the Lebanese law, but forcibly repatriating them turns into a violation of their rights, which is a greater violation than the sentence. The Lebanese government has no right to issue a judgement that violates the rights of prisoner or detainee such as torturing or deporting him. Unfortunately, the Lebanese judiciary did not intervene to stop this process, and they know that they are subject to torture and enforced disappearance by the Assad regime, so those who will deport them should bear the responsibility.

The Lebanese authorities are seeking to implement the procedures related to the resolution of the Supreme Defense Council issued in 2019, which stipulates in one of its clauses the possibility of handing over the arrested and convicted to the government of the Assad regime immediately. This resoultion raised the fears of Syrian opposition detainees of killing and enforced disappearance if the Lebanese authorities implemented the resolution, according to human rights reports.

According to a report by Amnesty International in 2021, some of the Syrian prisoners in Roumieh prison are defectors from Assad regime army or joined the Free Army previously during the Battle of “al-Qusayr”, and some of them were forced to confess their affiliation with extremist Islamic organizations, and others were arrested during the “of Arsal”, while some were arrested for having similar names.