Syrian 'refugee dancer' commits suicide in Beirut

A 25-year-old refugee displaced from Syria committed suicide by throwing himself from a seventh floor balcony of an apartment in Hamra street in Beirut, Lebanon on Wednesday.

Hassan Rebeh was a talented dancer, who rose to fame following his dances with the dance crew "Sima". 

He ended his life shortly after his last performance in Beirut.

According to friends of Hassan, he had been troubled by psychological problems following a difficult two years in Beirut after being forced from his home in Syria by the war.  

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In a public suicide note posted on Facebook, Hassan called for five fundamental "downs": Down with the Islamic State group, down with the Assad regime, down with Israel, down with all sects and parties and down with all regimes.

A 2015 study lead by the United Nations Population Fund found that 41 percent of Syrian youth living in Lebanon have thought about committing suicide, while 17 percent have "thought a lot" about ending their lives and 24 percent have been "tempted" when feeling no other doors are open to them. 

Many refugees in Lebanon struggle with difficult living conditions, and feelings of insecurity about the future, and often live in fear of prosecution and deportation without residency papers.

The number of registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon surpassed one million in April last year, of which 185,000 are aged 15-24.