HRW slams Lebanese eviction of Syria refugees

BEIRUT: Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Friday criticised Lebanese municipalities for what it called the unjustiiable expulsion of hundreds of Syrians from their homes since 2016, as sentiment against refugees simmers.

“At least 13 municipalities in Lebanon have forcibly evicted at least 3,664 Syrian refugees from their homes and expelled them from the municipalities, apparently because of their nationality or religion,” from the start of 2016 through to the end of March this year, the New York-based rights group said.

Almost one million Syrians are registered as refugees in Lebanon, though many expect the real number is much higher.

“Municipalities have no legitimate justiication for forcibly evicting Syrian refugees if it amounts to nationality-based or religious discrimination,” said Bill Frelick, refugee rights director at HRW.

“Lebanese leaders should curb rhetoric that encourages or condones forced evictions, expulsions, and other discriminatory and harassing treatment of refugees in Lebanon,” Frelick said.

The evictions have caused refugees to lose income and property, and their children to miss school or drop out altogether, according to HRW, which spoke to 57 Syrians affected by the measures.

Some municipalities have claimed the evictions were based on housing regulation infractions such as tenants not registering their leases with them, HRW said.

But despite “widespread breaches by Lebanese citizens as well, the measures these municipalities have taken have been directed exclusively at Syrian nationals and not Lebanese citizens,” it said. HRW also pointed to discrimination on a religious basis, with most of the municipalities involved in forcibly evicting and expelling Syrian refugees predominantly populated by Christians.

All 57 interviewees who spoke to HRW identiied as Muslim.

But, said HRW, “Lebanon’s refugeehosting fatigue has been exacerbated by a lack of international support” as well.

On Wednesday, around 500 Syrian refugees left southern Lebanon under an agreement between authorities in Beirut and Damascus to return them to their home country.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said it was aware of the returns but was not involved in the agreement, “considering the prevailing humanitarian and security situation in Syria.”