The EU funds training and infrastructure for Lebanese security forces involved in border management who forcibly send Syrian refugees back to Syria after their expulsion from Cyprus, a practice that goes against human rights laws, a Human Rights Watch report has found.
HRW, which spoke to 15 Syrians who claimed to have suffered human rights violations at the hands of Lebanese and Cypriot authorities, said Cyprus did not allow them to make asylum claims and in some cases violently forced them on vessels bound for Beirut – a practice that is also against international law. Both Lebanese and Cypriot authorities have denied human rights violations.
The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, said it is aware of possible violations of human rights by Lebanese security actors but it appears this has not stopped it from increasing its funding to an external think tank, the International Centre for Migration Policy Development, that works with those security forces.
In May, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a €1 billion ($1.1 billion) package for Lebanon, which included funding for security forces, although it remains unclear what exactly they have received. One week later, Lebanon's most powerful security agency, General Security, announced new measures to restrict Syrians' ability to obtain legal status, said HRW.
Under a Dutch-funded project, the ICPMD provides them human rights courses, but appears not to measure whether this translates in compliance in border actions, said HRW.
'Inherent contradiction'
“The omission is particularly concerning as many abuses committed by Lebanese security actors against Syrian refugees and asylum seekers had continued between June and September 2023, after ICMPD supposedly delivered the above training in May 2023,” said the report.
“The inherent and unacceptable contradiction is obvious: as the ICMPD continued receiving sizeable project funding and hailing the Lebanese security agencies’ “significant progress” in human rights compliance, the very same agencies continued to commit abuses against Syrian refugees.”
The EU and European countries gave Lebanon about 16.7 million euros ($18.5 million) from 2020 to 2023 for border management “mainly in the form of capacity-building projects explicitly aimed at enhancing Lebanon’s ability to prevent irregular migration”, the report said. In August, the EU allocated another 32 million euros ($35.3 million) to “continue implementing border management enhancement projects in Lebanon through 2025”, it said.
Lebanon hosts the highest number of refugees per capita in the world – about 1.5 million Syrians – and stopped allowing them to be registered as refugees in 2015.
Burdened by an unprecedented and protracted financial crisis, the small Mediterranean country has turned increasingly hostile to Syrians, who are “trapped in perpetual vulnerability in Lebanon”, said HRW.
Syrians are increasingly trying to make it to Cyprus, which has witnessed a surge of arrivals and stopped issuing Syrian asylum applications in April. There are about 30,000 Syrians in Cyprus, a country of 900,000 inhabitants.
Syria's 13-year-old civil war has pushed millions to flee abroad. Less than one per cent want to return home, the UN has found, because of economic and security concerns.
Cyprus returns irregular migrants to Lebanon as part of a 2020 agreement, the Cypriot Ministry of Interior told HRW, but said practical details were in the hands of the police, which did not give further details.
Some EU countries are increasingly vocal about wanting to send Syrians back to Syria despite a lack of a political solution to the conflict and President Bashar Al Assad's statements saying he does not want refugees back for economic, political and sectarian reasons.
The National exclusively reported in June that the Czech Republic was working on a fact-finding mission in Syria to establish “safe zones” and that Cyprus had expressed interest.
In the HRW report, Habib, a 15-year-old Syrian from Idlib who moved to Lebanon when he was three years old and travelled alone to Cyprus, described having his hands zip-tied with other children as he was forced to sail back to Lebanon.
After the seven-hour trip to Beirut, the Lebanese army was waiting and beat one of the men during questioning, Habib said.
“They started making fun of us and said they would send us to Maher Al Assad who is in charge of the Syrian army’s Fourth Division,” he said, referring to a branch of Syria's much-feared security forces run by a brother of Mr Al Assad.
The Lebanese army then loaded them on a bus, drove them to the Syrian border, at Masnaa crossing point, and told them to walk across the border. Some were detained by the Syrian army, but they all paid smugglers to bring them back to Lebanon.
Beate Gminder of the European Commission’s Migration and Home Affairs directorate said in a response to the report’s findings that the commission “takes allegations of wrongdoings very seriously”, but that it is the responsibility of national authorities to “investigate any allegations of violations of fundamental rights” and to prosecute wrongdoing.
liverpool youngsters
Ki-Jana Hoever
The only one of this squad to have scored for Liverpool, the versatile Dutchman impressed on his debut at Wolves in January. He can play right-back, centre-back or in midfield.
Herbie Kane
Not the most prominent H Kane in English football but a 21-year-old Bristolian who had a fine season on loan at Doncaster last year. He is an all-action midfielder.
Luis Longstaff
Signed from Newcastle but no relation to United’s brothers Sean and Matty, Luis is a winger. An England Under-16 international, he helped Liverpool win the FA Youth Cup last season.
Yasser Larouci
An 18-year-old Algerian-born winger who can also play as a left-back, Larouci did well on Liverpool’s pre-season tour until an awful tackle by a Sevilla player injured him.
Adam Lewis
Steven Gerrard is a fan of his fellow Scouser, who has been on Liverpool’s books since he was in the Under-6s, Lewis was a midfielder, but has been converted into a left-back.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
LIVING IN...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
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SPECS
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Brief scores:
Newcastle United 1
Perez 23'
Wolverhampton Rovers 2
Jota 17', Doherty 90' 4
Red cards: Yedlin 57'
Man of the Match: Diogo Jota (Wolves)
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Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
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The biog
Favourite hobby: I love to sing but I don’t get to sing as much nowadays sadly.
Favourite book: Anything by Sidney Sheldon.
Favourite movie: The Exorcist 2. It is a big thing in our family to sit around together and watch horror movies, I love watching them.
Favourite holiday destination: The favourite place I have been to is Florence, it is a beautiful city. My dream though has always been to visit Cyprus, I really want to go there.
Ballon d’Or shortlists
Men
Sadio Mane (Senegal/Liverpool), Sergio Aguero (Aregentina/Manchester City), Frenkie de Jong (Netherlans/Barcelona), Hugo Lloris (France/Tottenham), Dusan Tadic (Serbia/Ajax), Kylian Mbappe (France/PSG), Trent Alexander-Arnold (England/Liverpool), Donny van de Beek (Netherlands/Ajax), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon/Arsenal), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Germany/Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Juventus), Alisson (Brazil/Liverpool), Matthijs de Ligt (Netherlands/Juventus), Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid), Georginio Wijnaldum (Netherlands/Liverpool), Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands/Liverpool), Bernardo Silva (Portugal/Manchester City), Son Heung-min (South Korea/Tottenham), Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Bayern Munich), Roberto Firmino (Brazil/Liverpool), Lionel Messi (Argentina/Barcelona), Riyad Mahrez (Algeria/Manchester City), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium/Manchester City), Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal/Napoli), Antoine Griezmann (France/Barcelona), Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool), Eden Hazard (BEL/Real Madrid), Marquinhos (Brazil/Paris-SG), Raheem Sterling (Eengland/Manchester City), Joao Félix(Portugal/Atletico Madrid)
Women
Sam Kerr (Austria/Chelsea), Ellen White (England/Manchester City), Nilla Fischer (Sweden/Linkopings), Amandine Henry (France/Lyon), Lucy Bronze(England/Lyon), Alex Morgan (USA/Orlando Pride), Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands/Arsenal), Dzsenifer Marozsan (Germany/Lyon), Pernille Harder (Denmark/Wolfsburg), Sarah Bouhaddi (France/Lyon), Megan Rapinoe (USA/Reign FC), Lieke Martens (Netherlands/Barcelona), Sari van Veenendal (Netherlands/Atletico Madrid), Wendie Renard (France/Lyon), Rose Lavelle(USA/Washington Spirit), Marta (Brazil/Orlando Pride), Ada Hegerberg (Norway/Lyon), Kosovare Asllani (Sweden/CD Tacon), Sofia Jakobsson (Sweden/CD Tacon), Tobin Heath (USA/Portland Thorns)
