Secretary-General of the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC), Haytham Rahmeh, warned that deporting Syrian refugees in Lebanon to the areas held by the Assad regime will constitute a crime and a violation of international laws, calling on the Lebanese authorities to stop insisting on returning refugees to where they will suffer a grim fate in the regime-held areas.
Rahmeh pointed out that the report recently issued by the UN Human Rights Council at its 51st session confirmed that Syria is an unsafe for refugee return and held the Assad regime responsible for tens of thousands of enforced disappearances, missing persons and detainees in Syria.
Rahmeh called on the United Nations, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the Arab League to take swift action to stop the forced deportation of Syrian refugees in Lebanon under the title of voluntary return. He also called for taking serious decisions preventing the Lebanese authorities from implementing their plan, holding the Lebanese government responsible for any harm that will affect the Syrian refugees.
Moreover, Rahmeh stressed that the allegations that the Assad regime’s areas are safe are unsubstantiated as the exodus of people from these areas continue while millions refuse to return despite the dire conditions they are suffering from.
Rahmeh stressed that a solution to the refugee crisis can only come through revitalizing the political process to implement UN resolutions on Syria, most notably the Geneva Communique of 2012 and UN Resolutions 2118 and 2254 to achieve a political transition that provides a safe and stable environment for the voluntary, safe return of refugees.
(Source: SOC’s Media Department)
