On Crimes and Violations against Syrian Refugees in Arsal, Lebanon

Press Release

Media Department

Syrian Coalition

July 1, 2017

The Syrian Coalition strongly condemns attacks on Syrian refugees in camps in the Arsal area in Lebanon on Friday which resulted in the death of a number of refugees and the detention of hundreds more. Refugees were humiliated and treated as hostages by the Lebanese army and the Hezbollah militias.

The Coalition holds the Lebanese authorities responsible for the safety of Syrian refugees in Lebanon as it stresses the need for accountability and punishment of those responsible for crimes and violations against the Syrian refugees. Violations against Syrian refugees also included attempts to forcibly move the refugees to other areas or to force them to return to areas under the control of the Assad regime and its allied terrorist militias.

The Coalition calls on the Lebanese authorities to provide the necessary protection for Syrian refugees in accordance with international humanitarian law until such time as they can return to their homeland, to stop using terrorism as an excuse to attack and harm unarmed civilians, and to stop humiliating refugees and detention operations carried out without any humanitarian or legal considerations. The Coalition emphasizes that it will address the Arab League and the United Nations, as it has done many times before and will continue to do, regarding the grave situation facing Syrian refugees in Lebanon, specifically in the Arsal area.