SOHR exclusive | “Our deportation is crime against humanity and farcical show played by media and intelligence branches,” say Syrian refugees in Lebanon
Tens of families of Syrian refugee living in Lebanon are waiting for new developments following the departure of the first patch of refugees to Syria, amid concerns about their fate, after having fled from the violent battles, arrests, persecution and “unreal” political reconciliations and settlements in areas controlled by Syrian regime forces and the Lebanese Hezbollah.
An activist known by his initials as H. A. from Al-Qarabis neighbourhood in Homs city and now living in a city in northern Lebanon says, “after regime forces had captured Homs city in mid 2014, I displaced with my four-member family to north Homs countryside, before I headed to Lebanon with the help of smugglers, so that I can enjoy relative stability. In the past seven years, since I came to Lebanon, I faced many challenges which were manifested in attempts to remain hidden from militiamen of the Lebanese Hezbollah who are loyal to the Syrian regime, fearing handing us over to the Syrian regime authorities.”
The activist revealed that his friend, who worked as a correspondent for a TV channel, was arrested by the Lebanese Hezbollah and handed over to the Syrian regime authorities; this spurred the activist to stay in a remote village in Tripoli which is outside areas controlled by Hezbollah.
The activist added, “I repeatedly sought refuge in several European countries in order to keep my family safe, where my former work in media posed a threat to our safety and lives. However, the UN High Commissioner and foreign embassies and consulates in Lebanon rejected my applications and frequent appeals under the pretext of ‘complying with name lists.’ ”
On the other hand, a refugee in Arsal camp in Lebanon known as “Abu Al-Baraa” says, “no one living in Lebanon think of returning to regime-controlled areas, except for the pro-regime refugees who left Syria, searching for better life, as well as several Syrian workers who had come to Lebanon before the crisis. Tens of families have found themselves forced to return to Syria in light of the stifling economic crises in Lebanon, including the shortage of bread, blackouts and lack of fuel; let alone the official statements by the director of the Lebanese general security service who said that the 45 percent of prisoners in Lebanese prisons are Syrians, which shoulders the Lebanese government extra burdens.”
It is worth noting that a large number of Syrians, including women and children, have been subjected to frequent attacks over racist campaigns, while the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has taken no actions to put an end to these practices. Accordingly, many Syrian refugees have unwillingly decided to return to regime-controlled areas. On the other hand, some Lebanese people are insist on revenge against Syrians who have been forced to flee from the war and its scourges in Syria, because of the reprehensible practices by regime forces during their military presence in Lebanon.
The deportation of Syrian refugees from Lebanon is a crime against humanity, as everyone returning to regime-controlled areas will face unknown fate, after being forced to participate in the “farcical show” of voluntary return, which the state-media promote for the Arab and international communities, and driven to strike “fake and unreal” reconciliation deals which could not protect the returnees from atrocities and arbitrary arrests by regime security services.