The Syrian National Commission for Detainees and Missing Persons warned that the Assad regime will detain Syrian refugees who are being forced to return to Syria from Lebanon, stressing that the Lebanese authorities bear full responsibility for the safety of the returnees.
Coordinator of the Commission, Salwa Aksoy, cited previous reports by rights groups confirming the Assad regime’s detention, torture and execution of dozens of returnees, noting that there is a serious concern that the returnees will face a similar fate in the regime-held areas.
Aksoy held the Lebanese authorities fully responsible for the safety of the Syrian refugees who are being forced to return to the regime’s areas, stressing that this move violates international norms and conventions on the rights of refugees.
Aksoy pointed out that the Commission is communicating with human rights and international bodies in order to warn about what might happen to Syrian refugees after their arrival in the regime’s areas, especially in light of the absence of any mechanisms for monitoring arbitrary arrest, torture and executions inside the prisons of the Assad regime.
Aksoy called for urgent international action to stop the forced returns from Lebanon. She stressed that the voluntary return must be in accordance with international resolutions on Syria, which called for achieving a genuine political transition in the country, providing a safe and independent environment, and holding fair elections under the supervision of the United Nations before the return of refugees. (Source: SOC’s media department)
