In the Pictures: This is How Hundreds of Syrian Refugees Began to Leave Lebanon Amid Human Rights Organizations Concern | News

The first group of Syrian refugees left Lebanon with a new repatriation plan criticized by human rights groups.

Hundreds of Syrian refugees living in Lebanon gathered in a border area with Syria carrying bags, generators, refrigerators and chickens.

They are among the many Syrian refugees who have begun to return to their country as part of a voluntary program coordinated by the Lebanese General Security, the body responsible for protecting the country’s borders.

The program raised concerns among human rights groups that it might involve elements of coercion, but Lebanese authorities said the returns are voluntary.

Although the front lines in the 11-year war in Syria are mostly calm, the United Nations says escalating violence and the risk of detention are making the situation dangerous for large-scale refugee repatriation.

There are more than 800,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees who have fled violence following protests that began against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2011, and at its peak Lebanon hosted almost 1,200,000 refugees.

In 2018, the General Security Service launched a mechanism by which any Syrian refugee can declare his desire to return to his homeland and contact the Syrian authorities to ensure that this person is not persecuted there.

This program resulted in the return of nearly 400,000 Syrians to their homes, but was put on hold with the outbreak of the “Covid-19” virus. Outgoing Lebanese President Michel Aoun relaunched it this month and picked it up last Wednesday.