Press release
Syrian Opposition Coalition
Department of Media and Communications
July 6, 2022
The Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) denounces the announcement by the Lebanese government that it will deport Syrian refugees to areas under the control of the Assad regime. These intentions reflect callous indifference to the safety of refugees and the serious threats they will face upon their return. We call on the international community to take swift action to prevent any forced deportation.
More than half of the Syrian people are still displaced inside and outside Syria due to the Assad regime’s various atrocities, including killings, arrest and torture. These actions are still taking place due to the presence of the same criminals who committed hundreds of massacres against the Syrian people.
Forcible deportation means that Al-Tadamon Massacre may be repeated because the Assad regime’s repressive apparatus continues to arbitrarily arrest civilians in the areas under their control.
The SOC calls on the Lebanese government to stop any deportation plan and to respect international laws that require the protection of refugees and the safeguarding of their rights. It holds the Lebanese government responsible for any harm that may occur to Syrian refugees.
The SOC also calls on the United Nations and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to swiftly intervene to protect refugees in Lebanon and stop their deportation to areas under the control of the Assad regime.
The actions of the Lebanese Hezbollah militia in Syria, along with the Assad regime, Russia and Iran, are among the main reasons for the suffering of the Syrian people and their displacement. The claim that the Assad regime’s areas are safe is false and unrealistic. It is an argument used by the Lebanese government to deport refugees in view of its failure to confront the Hezbollah militia’s takeover of state institutions and its inability to manage the country’s various internal crises.
