An international human rights group said on Thursday there was evidence of torture on the bodies of Syrian refugees who died in the custody of the Lebanese army after mass arrests during raids on refugee camps late last month.
The military said that four of the nearly 400 Syrian refugees detained in the aftermath of a string of June 30 suicide attacks in the border town of Arsal died from “pre-existing conditions” and denied allegations of mistreatment.
Read more: Already desperate, Lebanon's Syrian refugees now face calls for expulsion
However, according to Human Rights Watch, photographic evidence of the corpses and detainees’ testimonies support allegations of torture. The rights group added that it had “credible” information a fifth detainee died in army custody.
Dr Homer Venters, director of programmes at Physicians for Human Rights, reviewed 28 photos of three of the deceased men, who were covered in bruises and cuts.
“The lack of defensive wounds suggests that these injuries were inflicted while the victims were restrained or otherwise incapacitated and the distribution of these injuries are consistent with inflicted trauma in the setting of physical torture,” he said.
Although a precise cause of death cannot be determined through the photographs, “any statement that the deaths of these individuals were due to natural causes is inconsistent with these photographs”, he added.
Medical reports — prepared at the request of Lebanon’s general prosecutor — for three of the men concluded that their bodies showed “no marks of violence”, and they had died from heart attacks and a stroke.
Former detainees told Human Rights Watch that refugees were placed in overcrowded cells, beaten and denied food and water.
One witness said the body of a fifth detainee — a man not named by the army as having died in their custody — “didn’t look human any more. His flesh was torn apart”.
“They beat people, some with batons, others with the butt of a gun,” said one former detainee. “I saw one soldier on the outside poking one of the detainees from the window with a bent skewer. He beat him, then he started cutting his face … until blood came out.”
The suicide attacks against Lebanese army patrols in Arsal on June 30 and the subsequent deaths of refugees in army custody have raised tensions significantly in Lebanon.
Increasingly viewing the country’s estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees a security threat, some of the country’s leading politicians are calling for their expulsion.
With anti-refugee rhetoric on the rise, activists called for a protest this week to show solidarity with Syrian refugees and demand answers about detainee deaths. The protest was cancelled amid fears of violence and Lebanon’s interior minister later banned all demonstrations in the country.
Read more: Lebanon bans all protests after calls for demonstrations by Syrian activists
Meanwhile, Lebanese president Michel Aoun spoke out against the persecution of refugees in the country on Wednesday, one day after a video surfaced of a group of Lebanese men beating a Syrian refugee in the street, accusing him of planning to protest against the army.
However, Mr Aoun has still pushed for refugees to return to their country as soon as possible and characterised accusations of army abuses as “malicious voices”.
Questioning and criticising the army has emerged as a red line in Lebanon. The administrator of a Facebook page that was promoting the refugee solidarity protest and a Lebanese journalist, who condemned the army’s behaviour, were detained this month.
An anticipated offensive on ISIL and Jabhat Al Nusra positions near Arsal by the Lebanese army and the Shiite group Hizbollah has only added to tensions as the battle threatens to return conflict to the town, which was briefly captured by the two extremist groups in 2014.
The Lebanese government says the army will lead the operation, but Hizbollah forces are already in position and set for battle. No date has yet been set for the operation to start, but Syrian air force jets have stepped up air strikes on militant positions on the border in recent days.
The prospect of increased Hizbollah and army involvement in the area will likely make refugees uneasy. Many oppose Hizbollah and, after the allegations of abuse by the army, are now fearful of Lebanese government soldiers.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
'The Ice Road'
Director: Jonathan Hensleigh
Stars: Liam Neeson, Amber Midthunder, Laurence Fishburne
2/5
500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
Sector: Online food delivery
Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception
The specs: Macan Turbo
Engine: Dual synchronous electric motors
Power: 639hp
Torque: 1,130Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Touring range: 591km
Price: From Dh412,500
On sale: Deliveries start in October
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
MANDOOB
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MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
MATCH INFO
Delhi Daredevils 174-4 (20 ovs)
Mumbai Indians 163 (19.3 ovs)
Delhi won the match by 11 runs
DIVINE%20INTERVENTOIN
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
More on Quran memorisation:
More on Quran memorisation:
Profile box
Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
MATCH INFO
Fixture: Thailand v UAE, Tuesday, 4pm (UAE)
TV: Abu Dhabi Sports
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.6-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 285bhp
Torque: 353Nm
Price: TBA
On sale: Q2, 2020
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
Dhadak
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana
Stars: 3
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
ENGLAND SQUAD
For first two Test in India Joe Root (captain), Jofra Archer, Moeen Ali, James Anderson , Dom Bess, Stuart Broad , Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes. Reserves James Bracey, Mason Crane, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Robinson, Amar Virdi.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, semi-final result:
Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona
Liverpool win 4-3 on aggregate
Champions Legaue final: June 1, Madrid
Hot%20Seat
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