Lebanon army 'kicked out thousands of Syrians in two months': HRW

Lebanon's armed forces arbitrarily arrested and deported thousands of Syrian refugees back to Syria in April and May 2023, among them children, Human Rights Watch said Wednesday, despite warnings from rights groups about refoulement.

The quick deportations intensified since the beginning of this year, HRW said, with the Lebanese army deporting Syrians without consideration of their refugee status or risk of persecution once returned.

"Lebanon is hosting the largest number of refugees per capita in the world amid a grueling economic crisis, but this is no excuse to round up Syrians and dump them over the border into the hands of their abusive government," said Ramzi Kaiss, HRW’s Lebanon researcher.

"Syrians in Lebanon are living in constant fear that they could be picked up and sent back to nightmarish conditions, regardless of their refugee status," Kaiss said.

Citing humanitarian groups, HRW said that there had been more than 1,800 deportations of Syrian refugees since April 2023.

One Syrian interviewed by HRW said the Syrian military arbitrarily detained, tortured, and forcibly conscripted him into their reserve force after he was deported in April. 

Six Syrians who spoke to HRW reported abusive treatment including beatings, threats, and sexual harassment during their deportation, as well as being blindfolded, slapped, and forced to stand for hours.

In response to the rights group, the Lebanese army denied arbitrarily or systematically deporting Syrians.

It said deportations took place as part of security operations, based on credible security threats.

HRW said governments providing Lebanon with funds to host refugees should urge Lebanese authorities to halt arbitrary deportations and ensure that funds do not contribute to or perpetuate rights violations.

Arbitrary deportations are illegal under Lebanese law, as well as a breach of the UN’s anti-torture convention and the principle of non-refoulement, HRW said.

Lebanon officially hosts around 1.5 million Syrian refugees, most of whom have fled Syria since the civil war erupted in the country in 2011.

Lebanon has the highest population of refugees per capita in the world - although the real figure is likely to be higher as thousands of refugees remain unregistered.

Syrian refugees are among the worst hit by the economic crisis currently gripping Lebanon, with some 90 percent of Syrian refugees in the country living in extreme poverty.

Lebanese officials have cited the economic crisis as a reason for the push to deport Syrian refugees.

Lebanon’s migration minister reportedly claimed last week that Syria had agreed to take in 180,000 Syrians as a "first step" in the returns process.