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Deaths and Forced Disappearances Pursue Syrians Fleeing Lebanon
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Continued systematic violations against returnees reveal the Syrian regime's lack of seriousness in providing real guarantees for refugees, reinforcing fears of repeating the tragedy of former detaine
Human Rights Watch revealed in a report published today that Syrians fleeing violence in Lebanon face the risk of persecution and harassment by the Syrian regime upon their return, including forced disappearance, torture, and death in detention.
The ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanon since late September 2024 have forced hundreds of thousands of Syrians to return to their country. The raids have resulted in approximately 2,710 casualties, including at least 207 Syrians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Based on the organization's monitoring, returning Syrians, particularly men, face the risk of arbitrary arrest and violations by Syrian regime apparatus.
The organization documented four cases of returnees being arrested during this period, while other human rights institutions, including the "Syrian Network for Human Rights," recorded dozens of additional cases.
The organization reported that at least two Syrian men died under mysterious circumstances in 2024 after being deported from Lebanon and Turkey to Syria in 2023 and detained by the Syrian regime since then, while two others remain forcibly disappeared since their handover to the regime in January and July, according to reliable sources.
The organization quoted Adam Coogle, deputy Middle East director, saying: "Syrians fleeing violence in Lebanon are being forced to return to Syria, even as Syria remains unsafe for safe or dignified return and in the absence of any meaningful reforms to address the root causes of displacement."
He continued: "The suspicious deaths of returnees in detention highlight the stark danger of arbitrary detention, violations, and persecution against those fleeing and the urgent need for effective monitoring of human rights violations in Syria."
The organization highlighted the Syrian regime and armed groups controlling areas in Syria continue to prevent humanitarian and human rights organizations from full and unrestricted access to all areas, including detention centers, which hampers documentation efforts and conceals the actual scale of violations.
According to the "Syrian Arab Red Crescent" statistics, about 440,000 people fled to Syria from Lebanon through official crossings between September 24 and October 22, 71% of them Syrians and 29% Lebanese, with others believed to have crossed irregularly.
Levant-Human Rights Watch
