Stay updated with the latest news!
Subscribe to The Jerusalem Post Newsletter
2023
In 2023, the UNHCR recorded 13,772 people either expelled from Lebanon or returned at the Syrian border, a violation of the principle of non-refoulement and the ban on collective expulsion of vulnerable groups like Syrians.
“Once in Syria, expelled refugees faced not only detention by the Syrian army, but also extortion by armed men for payment to be smuggled back to Lebanon,” the HRW report notes. The organization has documented cases of detained returning Syrians being persecuted, tortured, and even killed by Syrian government forces.
In May, the European Union allocated a €1 billion aid package to Lebanon through 2026, including funds for the Lebanese Armed Forces and other security forces for border management and anti-smuggling efforts. Between 2020 and 2023, the EU and its member states provided up to €16.7 million to Lebanese security agencies for border management projects aimed primarily at reducing irregular migration.
“With all this funding, the EU is complicit in the abuses of the Lebanese Armed Forces against Syrian refugees,” Hardman said. “Despite the fact that this humiliating treatment is widely known, the European authorities have not implemented any monitoring mechanism for abuses or made funding for projects conditional on the actor receiving it violating human rights,” she added.
Like Hassan, the Syrian refugees interviewed have attempted to leave Lebanon by boat between three and five times. Many persist despite being stopped by Lebanese authorities or turned away by Cypriot officials.
“This shows that any kind of abusive migration control measures are not going to work, as they have been proven time and again to be ineffective and do not stop them from trying to reach European shores; all they do is make the journeys more dangerous,” Hardman said.
According to Hardman, refugees like Hassan “have no legal avenues to leave, so they will always use irregular crossings by boat,” calling for “more resettlement avenues for Syrian refugees in Lebanon.” Hassan echoed this sentiment: “Here there is no life, only suffering; life in Europe is better,” he said.
Source link : https://www.jpost.com/international/article-820712
Author :
Publish date : 2024-09-18 07:00:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
