President of the Syrian Coalition Riad Seif sent letters to the United Nations and its Secretary-General António Guterres as well as to Lebanese President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Saad Hariri to stress the need to protect the Syrian refugees in Lebanon, especially in the town of Arsal.
Seif said that the killing, arrest and physical abuse of Syrian refugees is “disgraceful violation of human rights laws and the Lebanese law.” He added that “these acts cannot be justified whatsoever by the fight against terrorism, our common enemy, or to preserve Lebanon’s security.”
One of the reasons why Syrian refugees are in Lebanon is “the intervention of the Hezbollah militias in Syria and its alliance with the regime which practiced violence and terrorism against its people.”
Seif called for the protection of Syrian refugees in Lebanon. “We hope you will provide proper protection to the guests of the Lebanese Republic,” he said. “The Syrian Coalition fully respects and supports the security and safety of Lebanon and the Lebanese people.”
Syrian activists on Thursday staged a protest in front of the United Nations headquarters in Geneva where a new round of negotiations is taking place. Protestors called on the Lebanese authorities to put an end to Hezbollah’s human rights violations against Syrian refugees.
Last week, camps housing Syrian refugees were violently raided, especially in and around the town of Arsal. Around 19 Syrian refugees were killed during the violent raids by the Hezbollah militias and Lebanese army units. Ten more Syrian refugees reportedly died under torture while in the custody of the Lebanese army. Over 350 refugees were detained, mostly from the refugee camps in the Arsal area. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)