Lebanese authorities will deport on Monday six Syrian men arrested near their country's embassy last week, which might put them at risk of death and torture, their lawyer and a global rights group said.
Five of the arrested men were former rebel fighters from the southern Deraa province, where the Syrian uprising originated. They may face retaliation from regime forces should they be deported, lawyer Mohammed Sablouh told The National.
The rebel province has come under heavy assault by the Syrian army since July despite nominally being under government control.
“If we turn these men to the Syrian regime, we are signing their death sentence,” Mr Sablouh said by phone.
Lebanon’s General Security told Mr Sablouh the men had 24 hours to secure passports and visas to a third country or face deportation.
Four of the six men were heading to the Syrian embassy to collect their passports when they were arrested. The remaining two were in the process of securing travel documents prior to their arrest. None of them currently have access to their passports.
“I am pleading with the prosecutor general not to implement this decision,” Mr Sablouh said.
The men arrived in Beirut last month and went missing near the Syrian embassy last week after going there to collect their passports to travel to a third country.
The Lebanese army later said it had arrested Syrians with matching initials to those who disappeared, for illegally entering the country.
Mr Sablouh said the Syrian embassy had set a “trap” for at least four of his clients who received calls to collect their passports and were kidnapped before reaching the embassy.
He filed a complaint on behalf of his clients on Friday for arbitrary arrest, enforced disappearance, detention without any legal justification, and evidence of torture.
Mr Sablouh sent The National a copy of the complaint, in which four of his clients say that men with Syrian accents blindfolded and abducted them last Friday, 50 metres from the embassy. They say they were interrogated in an unknown location, and then handed to Lebanese authorities afterwards.
Lebanon was under Syria's hegemony for nearly 30 years. The Syrian government still has allies in Lebanon, including the Iran-backed Hezbollah. The group has fought alongside government forces and helped President Bashar Al Assad retake most of the country after 10 years of civil war.
“The Syrian regime set a trap for these men and when word got out they hid behind the Lebanese army,” Mr Sablouh says.
When contacted for comment, the Syrian embassy expressed surprise at the arrests last week and denied any involvement.
General Security could not be reached for comment.
Mr Sablouh said at least one of the men, a former armed group leader Toufic Fayez Al Haji, was subjected to beatings.
His nephew Mohamad Taysir Al Haji confirmed to The National from Turkey reports of imminent deportation and pleaded for help.
Mr Sablouh also said the Lebanese authorities denied his clients their rights to have access to a lawyer during interrogation.
“Their rights have been completely disregarded,” he said. “They are in grave danger.”
The Amnesty International rights group, meanwhile, urged Lebanese authorities to refrain from deporting the men back to Syria, a move they said would be a “serious violation of Lebanon’s international obligations”.
“No part of Syria is safe for returns, and these men must be protected,” Lynn Maalouf of the group said.
Types of bank fraud
1) Phishing
Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
2) Smishing
The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
3) Vishing
The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
4) SIM swap
Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
5) Identity theft
Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
6) Prize scams
Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
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Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
New schools in Dubai
MATCH INFO
Everton v Tottenham, Sunday, 8.30pm (UAE)
Match is live on BeIN Sports
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%204cyl%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E261hp%20at%205%2C500rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E400Nm%20at%201%2C750-4%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10.5L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh129%2C999%20(VX%20Luxury)%3B%20from%20Dh149%2C999%20(VX%20Black%20Gold)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
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Price: From Dh117,059
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
The specs
Engine: 8.0-litre, quad-turbo 16-cylinder
Transmission: 7-speed auto
0-100kmh 2.3 seconds
0-200kmh 5.5 seconds
0-300kmh 11.6 seconds
Power: 1500hp
Torque: 1600Nm
Price: Dh13,400,000
On sale: now
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Can NRIs vote in the election?
Indians residing overseas cannot cast their ballot abroad
Non-resident Indians or NRIs can vote only by going to a polling booth in their home constituency
There are about 3.1 million NRIs living overseas
Indians have urged political parties to extend the right to vote to citizens residing overseas
A committee of the Election Commission of India approved of proxy voting for non-resident Indians
Proxy voting means that a person can authorise someone residing in the same polling booth area to cast a vote on his behalf.
This option is currently available for the armed forces, police and government officials posted outside India
A bill was passed in the lower house of India’s parliament or the Lok Sabha to extend proxy voting to non-resident Indians
However, this did not come before the upper house or Rajya Sabha and has lapsed
The issue of NRI voting draws a huge amount of interest in India and overseas
Over the past few months, Indians have received messages on mobile phones and on social media claiming that NRIs can cast their votes online
The Election Commission of India then clarified that NRIs could not vote online
The Election Commission lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police asking it to clamp down on the people spreading misinformation
