Lawyer Hasna Abdul Reda explains to NOW that although Lebanon is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention, the state is obliged to take in asylum seekers who are under threat of being prosecuted in their home country.
“One Syrian slit his hands open and another beat his head against the wall until it was cut,” he added. “They learned they were going to be deported and thought that they would be spared if they would be transferred to a hospital instead. But they weren’t.”
Halabi explains that with the promulgation of the Defense and Security Agreement between Syria and Lebanon, both countries’ military, security, and intelligence establishments have agreed to comprehensively coordinate and cooperate on security matters. According to this agreement, he says, “Syrian army deserters are considered [treasonous] by Syrian authorities and Lebanese authorities feel obliged to hand them over once they are detained.”
