Syrians expelled from Lebanon reportedly tortured upon return
Aerial view of the city of Beirut. (Illustrative photo) Getty Images - Holger Leue
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Amnesty International and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) denounced on Monday 24 April the expulsion by the Lebanese army of dozens of Syrians last week. The SOHR, based in Great Britain, reports cases of torture against displaced persons handed over to the Syrian authorities.
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With our correspondent in Beirut, Paul Khalifeh
The SOHR reported that 177 Syrians, including 42 women and 70 children, were arrested on the eve of the Eid al-Fitr holiday, Thursday, April 20, and taken to the Lebanese-Syrian border. The massive raid, confirmed Monday by Amnesty International, took place in Bourj Hammoud, a suburb east of Beirut, and in the Chouf mountain, southeast of the capital.
The SOHR reports that some displaced people have been subjected to "physical and psychological torture" in Syria before being released for the sum of 300 dollars per person. Those who could not afford to pay remained behind bars. Amnesty International says some of those arrested in last week's roundup were UN registered refugees.
Lebanon has been home to nearly two million Syrians, a quarter of its population, for twelve years. The country, which is going through a multifaceted crisis, says it can no longer bear this burden alone and calls for the return of refugees to their homes. However, the international community considers the repatriations risky and demands a political solution to the Syrian crisis beforehand.
► READ ALSO: Lebanon expels displaced Syrian refugees in the country
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Read on on the same topics:
- Syria
- Lebanon
- Human rights
- Refugees