Syrian Opposition Activist Faces Deportation Threat in Lebanon
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Roshan Amiri
- . March 11, 2024
- . Update: March 11, 2024 7:28 pm
Syrian opposition activist and researcher, Sheikh Jumaa Lehib, has been handed a deportation order from Lebanon to Syria, amid a growing crackdown on Syrian refugees in the country. Lehib, who heads the opposition party Syrian Future Movement, was arrested during Syria’s 2011 revolution and now faces the risk of being deported back to Syria by April 6th.
Despite his registered status with the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), Lebanese General Security ordered Lehib to return to Syria when he went to renew his residency. Activists and human rights monitors have warned that Lehib and his family could face reprisals from the Assad regime if they are sent back to Syria. Refugees who return to Syria have faced torture, forced disappearance, arrest, and even death at the hands of authorities.
Crackdown on Syrian Activists
Lehib’s deportation order comes as Lebanon threatens to send other Syrian activists back to Syria in recent weeks. “We are seeing several incidences in which Syrian opposition activists or defectors have been reportedly deported or threatened with deportation last month, despite their registration with UNHCR,” said Ramzi Kaiss, the Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch (HRW).
At least two individuals – a Syrian activist and a defector from the Syrian army – have been threatened with deportation over the last month, creating fear among Syrians in Lebanon.
Unlawful Deportations
Lebanon is obligated under international law not to return anyone at risk of being tortured, which civil society organizations argue is the case with deportations of refugees back to Syria. Under Lebanese law, deportations can only be authorized by judicial decisions or an exceptional decision by the head of Lebanese general security.
Sablouh pointed to the case of Yassin al-Ater, a Syrian opposition activist who was handed a deportation order despite his position and a judicial order barring him from travel. Lawyers have also faced challenges in representing clients, with authorities denying them the ability to meet with their clients, even though they are entitled to legal counsel.
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Increasing Pressure on Refugees
Rhetoric from officials against the presence of Syrian refugees in the country has increased since the beginning of the 2019 Lebanese financial crisis, worsening in mid-2023. Deportations have not only been confined to Syrian activists but have targeted Syrian refugees en masse.
Since April 2023, Lebanese authorities have carried out campaigns against Syrian refugees without valid residency documents, which comprise 87 per cent of the 1.8 million Syrian refugees in the country. On March 7th, Lebanese authorities raided camps in the Bekaa Valley and deported at least a dozen Syrians. The situation has caused widespread fear and distress among the Syrian refugee community in Lebanon.
