• Human Rights in Lebanon

    Reform in Lebanon stagnated in 2011, in part because Lebanon proved mostly immune to the Arab Spring and its widespread popular calls for change. The stagnation was also caused by internal divisions, which prevented progress on draft laws to stop    torture, improve the treatment of migrant domestic workers, and protect women from domestic violence. Women face discrimination under personal status laws, and vulnerable groups are reportedly mistreated or tortured in detention. Lebanese authorities and humanitarian organizations have provided material assistance to the influx of Syrians fleeing their country’s fighting, but needs are increasing. An estimated 300,000 Palestinian refugees in Lebanon live in appalling social and economic conditions.

  • A migrant worker, who described being beaten by Lebanese soldiers, shows his bruises in Beirut on October 8, 2012.
    © 2012 Nadim Houry/Human Rights Watch
    Lebanon: Investigate and Punish Army Attacks on Migrants
    Lebanon’s judiciary should investigate and prosecute any army and intelligence officials responsible for the beating and serious abuse of at least 72 male migrant workers on the evening of October 7 in the Beirut neighborhood of Geitawi, Human Rights Watch said today. According to victims and other witnesses, those beaten include at least 45 Syrian, 20 Egyptians, and 7 Sudanese migrant workers.
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Lebanon

  • Time for an Anti-discrimination Law
    Dec 16, 2012
    Left unchecked, Lebanon’s sectarian dynamics have spread like a cancer across public administrations. Today, the simplest public appointment is subject to sectarian horse-trading with the predictable outcome that qualifications are rarely the main selection factor. Take the recent appointment of a six-member committee to oversee and regulate the oil and gas sector. Instead of focusing on expertise, the government focused on ensuring that the appointees came from the following six communities: Shia, Sunni, Druze, Maronite, Greek Catholic, and Greek Orthodox. Tough luck for any oil expert who may belong to the other 12 religious communities recognized in Lebanon.
  • Iraq/Turkey: Open Borders to All Syrian Refugees
    Oct 14, 2012
    The Iraqi and Turkish authorities should immediately re-open border crossings where more than 10,000 Syrians have been stranded for weeks and allow all those wishing to seek asylum to cross without delay.
  • Lebanon: Investigate and Punish Army Attacks on Migrants
    Oct 10, 2012
    Lebanon’s judiciary should investigate and prosecute any army and intelligence officials responsible for the beating and serious abuse of at least 72 male migrant workers on the evening of October 7 in the Beirut neighborhood of Geitawi, Human Rights Watch said today. According to victims and other witnesses, those beaten include at least 45 Syrian, 20 Egyptians, and 7 Sudanese migrant workers.
  • Syria Neighbors: Keep Borders Open for Refugees
    Aug 29, 2012
    Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon have mostly opened their borders to more than 200,000 refugees from neighboring Syria, but in the past week some officials in these countries have said they are reaching their limit and may soon close their borders.
  • Lebanon: Investigate, Prosecute Kidnappers
    Aug 20, 2012
    The Lebanese authorities should investigate and prosecute those responsible for the reported kidnapping of dozens of Syrian nationals and a Turkish man on August 15, 2012. Members of the al-Meqdad extended family inLebanon claimed responsibility for some of the kidnappings on national TV, calling them a retaliation for the kidnapping of one of their relatives, Hassan al-Meqdad, a Lebanese national, in Syria on August 13 by a group that claimed to be part of the opposition Free Syrian Army.
  • Lebanon: Stop ‘Tests of Shame’
    Aug 10, 2012
    Lebanon’s Justice Ministry should immediately issue a directive ordering an end to anal examinations as part of police investigative procedures to determine suspects’ sexual behavior. The ministry should follow the lead of the Lebanese Doctor’s Syndicate, which recently denounced the tests as a form of torture.
  • Letter to Lebanese Officials Regarding Deportation of Syrians
    Aug 4, 2012
    I am writing to inform you that we received a credible report on August 1 that General Security forcibly returned to Syria four Syrian nationals who expressed a fear of persecution in their country. Any forced return of persons at risk of persecution or other ill-treatment would constitute a contravention of Lebanon’s nonrefoulement obligations under international law.
  • Jordan: Bias at the Syrian Border
    Jul 4, 2012
    The Jordanian authorities have forcibly returned some newly arriving Palestinians from Syria and threatened others with deportation, Human Rights Watch said today. Since April 2012, the authorities have also arbitrarily detained Palestinians fleeing Syria in a refugee holding center without any options for release other than return to Syria.
  • Syria: End Indiscriminate Shootings of Civilians Fleeing Country
    Jun 27, 2012
    Syrian soldiers on the border with Jordan appear to be shooting indiscriminately at anyone - including civilian women and children - trying to flee from Syria.
  • An Unnecessary Tragedy
    Mar 31, 2012
    The abuse of Dechasa-Desisa was outrageous and its perpetrator must be held accountable. But the issue here is not just the criminal behavior of a recruiter, but the entire system of recruiting and regulating migrant domestic workers. Dechasa-Desisa’s death was entirely foreseeable and could have been prevented had the Lebanese authorities granted domestic workers their most basic rights.
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