On Thursday (May 11) the Syrian Network for Human Rights SNHR issued a renewed call to stop the deportation of Syrian refugees from Lebanon. A similar statement appeared on Amnesty International's pages at the end of April. Amnesty was also a signatory, along with a total of 20 organizations on the most recent statement.

"The Lebanese authorities must immediately stop forcibly deporting refugees back to Syria, amid fears that these individuals are at risk of torture or persecution at the hands of the Syrian government upon return."

The groups claimed that since the beginning of April, the Lebanese army had been conducting what they called "discriminatory raids," on houses where Syrian refugees are living and deporting most of them immediately.

'Anti-refugee rhetoric in Lebanon'

"The deportations come amid an alarming surge in anti-refugee rhetoric in Lebanon and other coercive measures intended to pressure refugees to return," read the statement on SNHR’s webpage.

Also read: Syrian refugees deported from Lebanon at risk of torture and conscription

SNHR said most of those deported are registered as refugees or known to the UNHCR. Some of those deported told Amnesty International that they had not been given the opportunity to speak with a lawyer or UNHCR before being removed from Lebanon. They were also not given the right to challenge their deportation, or argue their case for protection.

"The Lebanese authorities have deliberately mismanaged the country’s economic crisis, impoverishing millions and denying them their basic rights. But instead of adopting much-needed reforms, they have instead resorted to scapegoating refugees for their own failures. Nothing justifies taking hundreds of Syrian men, women and children by force from their beds in the early hours of the morning and handing them to the government they fled from," read the statement.

Refugees since 2012

Some of those interviewed by Amnesty said they had been in Lebanon and registered as refugees with UNHCR since 2012. They said they had been driven to the border with Syria by the Lebanese army and then handed directly over to the Syrian authorities. Some of them were even arrested or disappeared on their return to Syria, claimed SNHR.

Local and international organizations have documented atrocities and violations carried out by both the Syrian military and security forces, writes SNHR, which are particularly prevalent against Syrian returnees, including children. Some of the actions listed include "unlawful or arbitrary detention and torture and other ill-treatment, rape and sexual violence and enforced disappearance."

Also read: Syrian refugee dies after torture in detention in Lebanon

The organizations also said that Lebanon had begun imposing other measures that are intended to discriminate against Syrians, such as curfews to curtail their movement in the country and restrictions on their ability to rent housing. Some local authorities in Lebanon have also asked Syrians to show up at offices with their identification documents, residency cards and proof of residence, with the the threat that they will be deported if they fail to do so.

Also read: Lebanon's threat to send Syrians home, fact or fiction?

There has also been an "alarming rise in anti-refugee rhetoric," say the organizations, sometimes even fueled by local authorities and politicians. Some Lebanese media outlets have also been criticized for their use of language about Syrians. The organizations say this has sparked tensions between the host communities and refugees.

Rising anxiety and panic among Syrian community

Because of this, there has been rising anxiety and even panic among some of the Syrian community in Lebanon. Some Syrian refugees say they have not left their houses in weeks, for fear of being attacked or deported.

Lebanon is party to the Convention against Torture and so it is obligated not to return or extradite anyone that could be deemed in danger of being tortured in their home country. International law also dictates that no country should return people to a place where they risk persecution or other serious human rights violations.

Also read: Syria's missing, how the UN plans to find over 100,000 people

SNHR points out though that under Lebanese law, deportation orders can be issued by a judicial authority or by the General Director of the General Security, but only in "exceptional cases and based on an individual assessment."

The organizations say that in deporting groups of Syrians en masse, Lebanon is in breach of the principle of non-refoulement. They ask the country’s authorities to respect due process and "ensure that anyone at risk of deportation to Syria has the opportunity to see a lawyer, meet with UNHCR and to argue their case for protection and against deportation in a competent court."

The groups also call on the international community to step up their support of Lebanon and provide more resettlment pathways for Syrians currently residing in the country. Lebanon has around 1.5 million refugees. According to the organizations, in 2022, only 13 countries offered to resettle just 7,490 Syrian refugees from Lebanon.

With dpa