Articles for Lebanon

‏On the occasion of 26 June, the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture- which symbolizes the global commitment to ending the practice of torture and other ill-treatment- we, the undersigned organizations, express our deep concern over the ongoing impunity for the crime of torture in Lebanon and the lack of effective implementation of the Anti-Torture Law enacted in 2017.

The arrest of Abdulrahman Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, a poet and activist, has sparked widespread criticism, with human rights organisations urging Lebanon to fulfil its obligations under the Convention Against Torture. 

Al-Qaradawi, the son of the late Islamic scholar Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, was detained on 28 December 2024 at the Masnaa border crossing as he returned from Syria. 

Alkarama strongly condemns the deliberate targeting of civilians amid the ongoing Israeli bombardment of densely populated residential areas in Lebanon. At the same time, occupation forces persist in perpetrating acts of genocide in Gaza, systematically erasing entire Palestinian families without facing any form of deterrence.

Alkarama condemns the repressive practices, ongoing harassment, and threats faced by Lebanese human rights lawyer Mohamed Sablouh, warning against any harm to Mr. Sablouh and calling for his protection, as well as the safeguarding of his ability to practice his peaceful legal and human rights work. 

Two prisoners held in Roumieh prison, east of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, died in less than 48 hours due to very poor detention conditions, detainees being denied of minimum necessities of living, Alkarama learnt from its sources. 

The prison in which conditions are further deteriorating is marked by an increasing frequency of deaths and alleged suicides. 

On 21 April 2023, Alkarama submitted its contribution to the draft general comment of the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) on Article 4 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT).

Alkarama condemns the forced deportation by the Lebanese authorities of dozens of Syrian refugees to areas controlled by the Syrian regime, despite the existence of the risk of torture -and extrajudicial executions- in violation of the principle of non-refoulement enshrined in the Convention against Torture. 

Human rights sources reported that the Lebanese authorities have forcibly deported about 150 Syrian refugees to their country through the "Masnaa" crossing point since April 19, 2023. 

Lebanon February 6, 2023 - The Sixth of February was declared a Global Day of CommemorAction for the Dead, Missing, and Forcefully Disappeared at Sea and the Borders.

On 26 December 2022, Alkarama joined several Lebanese civil society organisations in seizing the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (SPT) and relevant UN Special Procedure mandate holders with a call for urgent action concerning the situation in Roumieh prison and other Lebanese detention centres.

On 26 June 2022, on the occasion of the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, Alkarama, several NGOs working for the protection of human rights and the Tripoli Bar Association called, through a joint statement, on the Lebanese authorities to comply with their obligations under the Convention against Torture and its optional protocol ratified by Lebanon.