Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Lebanon and Cyprus of “working in concert” to prevent Syrian refugees from reaching Europe and forcibly sending them back to war-torn Syria.
“The Lebanese armed forces and the Cypriot authorities work in concert to prevent Syrian refugees from reaching Europe, then send them back to Syria where they are in serious danger,” the non-governmental organization complained in a statement.
According to HRW, the Lebanese army intercepted Syrian boats trying to reach Europe, before sending them “summarily back to Syria”.
“At the same time”, the Cypriot forces “sent back to Lebanon Syrians whose boats had arrived in Cyprus, without taking into account their status as refugees”.
Many of them were then “immediately deported by the Lebanese army to Syria,” the non-governmental organization added.
In May, the EU announced €1 billion in aid, mainly to support Lebanon in its fight against irregular migration to Europe from its shores.
“While the EU is helping to foot the bill, Lebanon is violating the fundamental prohibition of extraditing a refugee to a place where he or she would be exposed to the risk of persecution,” HRW migration specialist Nadia Hardman said today.
“Cyprus also violates this prohibition by pushing refugees back to Lebanon, where they risk being sent back to Syria,” he adds.
Cypriot Interior Minister Konstantinos Ioannou told HRW that “in 2020 Cyprus and Lebanon reiterated their mutual agreement” regarding migrants attempting to cross the sea from Lebanon.
Lebanon’s General Security told HRW that any “return or deportation” of Syrians or other migrants from Cyprus, in which it has participated, “respected international human rights standards.”
HRW clarifies that the Lebanese army did not respond to its requests. When contacted by AFP, the Lebanese army did not want to comment.
Read also:
Putin-Vulin meeting in the wake of the Rafale deal
Russia confirms it is changing nuclear doctrine – New “fire” against the West
Ukraine: Poltava attack offsets Kursk gains
#HRW #Cyprus #Lebanon #resettle #refugees #Syria
