{"id":6748,"date":"2023-05-03T18:46:17","date_gmt":"2023-05-03T17:46:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=6748"},"modified":"2023-05-03T19:13:32","modified_gmt":"2023-05-03T18:13:32","slug":"syrian-refugees-in-troubles-as-lebanon-speeds-up-deportations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/magazine\/health-and-lifestyle\/syrian-refugees-in-troubles-as-lebanon-speeds-up-deportations\/2023\/05\/03\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"Syrian refugees in troubles as Lebanon speeds up deportations"},"content":{"rendered":"

QAB<\/span> ELIAS,<\/span> Lebanon<\/span> (AP)<\/span> –<\/span> Amid<\/span> a<\/span> deepening<\/span> economic<\/span> crisis<\/span> and<\/span> political<\/span> stalemate,<\/span> Lebanese<\/span> authorities<\/span> crack<\/span> down<\/span> on<\/span> Syrian<\/span> refugees,<\/span> sparking<\/span> panic<\/span> among<\/span> Syrians<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> country.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>In<\/span> recent<\/span> weeks,<\/span> the<\/span> military<\/span> has<\/span> raided<\/span> refugee<\/span> camps,<\/span> set<\/span> up<\/span> checkpoints<\/span> to<\/span> check<\/span> the<\/span> documents<\/span> of<\/span> non-Lebanese<\/span> citizens,<\/span> detained<\/span> and<\/span> often<\/span> deported<\/span> Syrians<\/span> found<\/span> illegal,<\/span> said<\/span> refugees<\/span> and<\/span> Humanitarian<\/span> organizations<\/span> say.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“People<\/span> don’t<\/span> sleep<\/span> at<\/span> home and<\/span> they<\/span> are<\/span> even<\/span> afraid<\/span> to<\/span> go<\/span> to<\/span> work,”<\/span> said<\/span> a<\/span> woman<\/span> from<\/span> Syria’s<\/span> Idlib<\/span> governorate<\/span> in<\/span> eastern<\/span> Lebanon’s<\/span> Bekaa<\/span> valley.<\/span> Her<\/span> husband<\/span> was<\/span> deported<\/span> along<\/span> with<\/span> 28<\/span> other<\/span> men<\/span> after<\/span> a<\/span> raid<\/span> on<\/span> Jounieh’s<\/span> Beirut<\/span> suburban<\/span> apartment<\/span> on<\/span> April<\/span> 10,<\/span> she<\/span> said,<\/span> and<\/span> has<\/span> not<\/span> heard<\/span> from<\/span> him<\/span> since.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Like<\/span> other<\/span> Syrians<\/span> interviewed<\/span> for<\/span> this<\/span> article,<\/span> the<\/span> woman<\/span> spoke<\/span> on<\/span> condition<\/span> of<\/span> anonymity<\/span> for<\/span> fear<\/span> of<\/span> retaliation.<\/span> Her<\/span> 4-year-old<\/span> son<\/span> asks<\/span> every<\/span> day<\/span> where<\/span> his<\/span> father<\/span> is.<\/span> Like<\/span> many<\/span> men<\/span> who<\/span> have<\/span> fled<\/span> to<\/span> Lebanon,<\/span> she<\/span> fears<\/span> she<\/span> was<\/span> sent<\/span> to<\/span> one<\/span> of<\/span> her<\/span> Syrian<\/span> detention<\/span> camps<\/span> because<\/span> her<\/span> husband<\/span> was<\/span> wanted<\/span> for<\/span> evading<\/span> military<\/span> service.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> pressure<\/span> has<\/span> increased<\/span> in<\/span> another<\/span> way.<\/span> Local<\/span> governments<\/span> have<\/span> introduced<\/span> restrictive<\/span> measures<\/span> such<\/span> as<\/span> curfews<\/span> for<\/span> Syrians.<\/span> The<\/span> interior<\/span> ministry<\/span> announced<\/span> on<\/span> Tuesday<\/span> that<\/span> it<\/span> had<\/span> ordered<\/span> local<\/span> governments<\/span> to<\/span> survey<\/span> and<\/span> register<\/span> Syrian<\/span> populations<\/span> and<\/span> document<\/span> them<\/span> before<\/span> allowing<\/span> property<\/span> to<\/span> be<\/span> rented.<\/span><\/p>\n

He<\/span> also<\/span> called<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> UN<\/span> refugee<\/span> agency<\/span> to<\/span> withdraw<\/span> refugee<\/span> status<\/span> for<\/span> Syrians<\/span> who<\/span> commute<\/span> between<\/span> Lebanon<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> war-torn<\/span> country.<\/span> Last<\/span> week,<\/span> a<\/span> committee<\/span> of<\/span> government<\/span> ministers<\/span> asked<\/span> UNHCR<\/span> to<\/span> release<\/span> detailed<\/span> personal<\/span> information<\/span> on<\/span> refugees<\/span> in<\/span> its<\/span> database.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>About<\/span> 805,000<\/span> registered<\/span> Syrian<\/span> refugees<\/span> live<\/span> in<\/span> Lebanon,<\/span> theoretically<\/span> protected<\/span> by<\/span> official<\/span> status,<\/span> but<\/span> those<\/span> who<\/span> do<\/span> not<\/span> keep<\/span> their<\/span> residency<\/span> documents<\/span> up<\/span> to<\/span> date<\/span> face<\/span> deportation.<\/span> I’m<\/span> here.<\/span> The<\/span> actual<\/span> number<\/span> of<\/span> Syrians<\/span> living<\/span> in<\/span> Lebanon,<\/span> fleeing<\/span> a<\/span> 12-year<\/span> civil<\/span> war,<\/span> is<\/span> believed<\/span> to<\/span> be<\/span> much<\/span> higher<\/span> since<\/span> the<\/span> Lebanese<\/span> government<\/span> ordered<\/span> the<\/span> United<\/span> Nations<\/span> to<\/span> suspend<\/span> new<\/span> registrations<\/span> in<\/span> 2015.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Government<\/span> officials<\/span> have<\/span> given<\/span> various<\/span> estimates<\/span> for<\/span> the<\/span> number<\/span> of<\/span> Syrians<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> country,<\/span> from<\/span> 1.5<\/span> million<\/span> to<\/span> her<\/span> more<\/span> than<\/span> 2<\/span> million.<\/span> Lebanon<\/span> is<\/span> believed<\/span> to<\/span> have<\/span> a<\/span> population<\/span> of<\/span> around<\/span> 5<\/span> million<\/span> to<\/span> 5.5<\/span> million<\/span> citizens,<\/span> but<\/span> no<\/span> census<\/span> has<\/span> been<\/span> held<\/span> for<\/span> nearly<\/span> a<\/span> century.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Since<\/span> Lebanon’s<\/span> economic<\/span> meltdown<\/span> began<\/span> in<\/span> 2019,<\/span> officials<\/span> have<\/span> increasingly<\/span> called<\/span> for<\/span> a<\/span> mass<\/span> return<\/span> of<\/span> Syrians,<\/span> saying<\/span> they<\/span> are<\/span> a<\/span> burden<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> country’s<\/span> scarce<\/span> resources<\/span> and<\/span> that<\/span> much<\/span> of<\/span> Syria<\/span> is<\/span> now<\/span> safe.<\/span> The<\/span> rhetoric<\/span> has<\/span> grown<\/span> increasingly<\/span> heated;<\/span> a<\/span> federation<\/span> of<\/span> trade<\/span> unions<\/span> recently<\/span> declared<\/span> a<\/span> \u201cNational<\/span> Campaign<\/span> to<\/span> Liberate<\/span> Lebanon<\/span> from<\/span> the<\/span> Syrian<\/span> Demographic<\/span> Occupation.\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>In<\/span> recent<\/span> interviews<\/span> with<\/span> local<\/span> media,<\/span> caretaker<\/span> Social<\/span> Affairs<\/span> Minister<\/span> Hector<\/span> Hajjar<\/span> claimed<\/span> that<\/span> refugees<\/span> make<\/span> up<\/span> 40%<\/span> of<\/span> Lebanon’s<\/span> population,<\/span> which<\/span> \u201cno<\/span> country<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> world<\/span> would<\/span> accept.\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Hajjar<\/span> told<\/span> The<\/span> Associated<\/span> Press<\/span> that<\/span> Lebanon’s<\/span> government<\/span> can<\/span> ensure<\/span> that<\/span> Syrians<\/span> who<\/span> qualify<\/span> as<\/span> refugees<\/span> would<\/span> not<\/span> be<\/span> deported,<\/span> by<\/span> exchanging<\/span> data<\/span> with<\/span> the<\/span> U.N.<\/span> refugee<\/span> agency.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>He<\/span> referred<\/span> questions<\/span> about<\/span> deportations<\/span> to<\/span> General<\/span> Security,<\/span> the<\/span> agency<\/span> in<\/span> charge<\/span> of<\/span> enforcing<\/span> immigration<\/span> laws.<\/span> Spokespeople<\/span> for<\/span> the<\/span> agency<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> Lebanese<\/span> military<\/span> did<\/span> not<\/span> respond<\/span> to<\/span> requests<\/span> for<\/span> comment<\/span> and<\/span> neither<\/span> has<\/span> made<\/span> public<\/span> statement<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> deportations.<\/span> The<\/span> UN<\/span> refugee<\/span> agency<\/span> said<\/span> attacks<\/span> on<\/span> Syrian<\/span> communities<\/span> have<\/span> increased<\/span> and<\/span> it<\/span> has<\/span> received<\/span> reports<\/span> of<\/span> deportations<\/span> of<\/span> Syrians,<\/span> including<\/span> registered<\/span> refugees.<\/span> “We<\/span> take<\/span> reports<\/span> of<\/span> deportations<\/span> of<\/span> Syrian<\/span> refugees<\/span> very<\/span> seriously,”<\/span> she<\/span> said.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>UN<\/span> officials<\/span> did<\/span> not<\/span> specify<\/span> the<\/span> number<\/span> of<\/span> confirmed<\/span> deportations.<\/span> The<\/span> Access<\/span> Center<\/span> for<\/span> Human<\/span> Rights,<\/span> a<\/span> group<\/span> that<\/span> tracks<\/span> the<\/span> situation<\/span> of<\/span> Syrian<\/span> refugees,<\/span> said<\/span> it<\/span> recorded<\/span> at<\/span> least<\/span> 200<\/span> cases<\/span> of<\/span> deportation<\/span> in<\/span> April.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> United<\/span> States,<\/span> one<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> largest<\/span> donors<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> Lebanese<\/span> army,<\/span> has<\/span> expressed<\/span> concern<\/span> about<\/span> the<\/span> deportation<\/span> to<\/span> Lebanese<\/span> authorities,<\/span> said<\/span> a<\/span> spokesman<\/span> for<\/span> the<\/span> US<\/span> embassy<\/span> in<\/span> Beirut,<\/span> who<\/span> requested<\/span> anonymity<\/span> in<\/span> accordance<\/span> with<\/span> regulations.<\/span> A<\/span> spokesman<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> return<\/span> of<\/span> refugees<\/span> “must<\/span> be<\/span> voluntary,<\/span> safe<\/span> and<\/span> dignified”.<\/span> \u201cI<\/span> have<\/span> questions<\/span> about<\/span> the<\/span> procedures<\/span> used<\/span> in<\/span> recent<\/span> deportations<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> extent<\/span> to<\/span> which<\/span> these<\/span> standards<\/span> are<\/span> being<\/span> met.\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> anti-refugee<\/span> campaign<\/span> comes<\/span> amid<\/span> a<\/span> deadlock<\/span> in<\/span> negotiations<\/span> with<\/span> the<\/span> International<\/span> Monetary<\/span> Fund<\/span> (IMF)<\/span> and<\/span> a<\/span> six-month<\/span> deadlock<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> election<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> country’s<\/span> next<\/span> president.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Meanwhile,<\/span> several<\/span> Arab<\/span> countries<\/span> are<\/span> closing<\/span> in<\/span> on<\/span> Syrian<\/span> President<\/span> Bashar<\/span> al-Assad.<\/span> The<\/span> return<\/span> of<\/span> refugees<\/span> has<\/span> been<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> agenda<\/span> of<\/span> recent<\/span> regional<\/span> consultations,<\/span> including<\/span> a<\/span> meeting<\/span> of<\/span> senior<\/span> diplomats<\/span> in<\/span> Jordan<\/span> on<\/span> Monday<\/span> to<\/span> discuss<\/span> a<\/span> political<\/span> solution<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> Syrian<\/span> civil<\/span> war.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Mohanad<\/span> Hage<\/span> Ali,<\/span> a<\/span> senior<\/span> fellow<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> Carnegie<\/span> Middle<\/span> East<\/span> Center,<\/span> says<\/span> refugees<\/span> are<\/span> used<\/span> as<\/span> scapegoats<\/span> by<\/span> Lebanese<\/span> politicians<\/span> at<\/span> a<\/span> time<\/span> of<\/span> mounting<\/span> public<\/span> outrage<\/span> over<\/span> Lebanon’s<\/span> failure<\/span> to<\/span> address<\/span> the<\/span> economic<\/span> and<\/span> political<\/span> crisis.<\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/span>Refugees<\/span> are<\/span> “like<\/span> punching<\/span> bags<\/span> that<\/span> show<\/span> up<\/span> when<\/span> everyone<\/span> needs<\/span> them,”<\/span> he<\/span> said.<\/span> He<\/span> suggested<\/span> the<\/span> crackdown<\/span> could<\/span> also<\/span> be<\/span> linked<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> ongoing<\/span> presidential<\/span> impasse<\/span> in<\/span> Lebanon.<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

QAB ELIAS, Lebanon (AP) – Amid a deepening economic crisis and political stalemate, Lebanese authorities crack down on Syrian refugees, sparking panic among Syrians in the country. In recent weeks, the military has raided refugee camps, set up checkpoints to check the documents of non-Lebanese citizens, detained and often deported Syrians found illegal, said refugees […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6754,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[562,2455,2460],"tags":[4580,4581,4582,4583,4584,4585,4586,80,487,553,1934,4577,4578,4579],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/3799151-1461028451.jpg","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6748"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6748"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6748\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6756,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6748\/revisions\/6756"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6748"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6748"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6748"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}