Stop torture of migrants and refugees!

Respect the Convention Against Torture

Today, on June 26, on the occasion of the International Day in support of Victims of Torture, our organizations are calling the authorities of Lebanon to:

On 23 June 2014, Alkarama submitted a follow-up communication to the United Nations Special Procedures regarding the case of Younes Al Belali and Salem Derbi. An urgent appeal was submitted on 15 June 2014 following their abduction on 31 May 2014 by forces affiliated to the retired general, Khalifa Haftar.

The Human Rights Council adopted yesterday the report for the second cycle of the Universal Periodic Review of Yemen. This mechanism involves for every United Nations member state to be reviewed on the situation of Human rights in their country.

Alkarama expresses its concern over the new anti-terrorism law that was adopted by the Jordanian government on 1st June 2014. The amendments to the initial law n°55 of 2006 are not in line with international Human Rights standards and treaties ratified by the Hashemite Kingdom.

Alkarama referred to the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances of the United Nations the case of Abdulrahman Ali Salem Mohammed, a Yemeni citizen who disappeared on 27 December 2013 after having been arrested at a checkpoint.

Abdulrahman, 19, usually lives in the United Arab Emirates where he has been working in cars' import/export field in Dubai. To visit his family, he used to travel frequently between Yemen and the UAE by crossing Oman.

Alkarama has submitted its shadow report in view of the Universal Periodic Review of Kuwait, which will take place in March 2015.

For nearly 10 years now, the Issawi family has not been durably reunited. Because of the political activism of their children, the Issawi's parents have seen them successively arrested or questioned by the Israel police. The latest ones, Shireen, a young lawyer, and her brothers, Shadi and Medhat, were arrested in March 2014 by the Israel police.

Alkarama referred to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances the case of Abdul Basit Al Sheikh, a Syrian activist who was arrested in May 2012 by agents of the Syrian Air Forces intelligence services. Until now, his family remains unaware of his fate and whereabouts.

Mr Al Sheikh, a candy seller who became activist

Jemaa Ahmad Massini and Alaeddine Moussa Ibrahim are two young Syrians living in Lebanon. They were arrested in February 2009 by agents of the internal security forces in Dora Street, North-East Beirut.

As they were held incommunicado, they might have been subjected to torture in order to elicit confessions. After eight consecutive days of ill-treatment and without any contact with the outside world or legal assistance, the two young men might have given up and sign documents that were presented to the Lebanese judiciary as confessions.

Nahr Al Bared is a Palestinian refugee camp located in Northern Lebanon. From May to September 2007, it was the scene of clashes between the regular Lebanese forces and Fatah Al Islam, an armed radical group, which led to the death of at least 300 civilians and the displacement of thousands of others. Following a vast operation, hundreds of people were arrested and to date, 87 of them are still arbitrarily detained or prosecuted for supposedly supporting this group.