BEIRUT: The practice of ill-treatment and torture by security services during crackdowns will exacerbate the security situation in Lebanon, Human Rights Watch officials said Thursday during the launch of their 2015 World Report. Speaking at a conference held at the Riviera Hotel in Beirut, Human Rights Watch Deputy Director in the Middle and North Africa Nadim Houry outlined the practice of torture and ill-treatment by the country’s security services during 2014.
These included cases of Syrian and Lebanese nationals being subjected to severe whippings, beatings and electrocution during interrogation and while being detained at checkpoints.
After his speech, he told The Daily Star that fighting terrorism while committing human rights violations was counterproductive.
“Experience of abuses in the name of fighting terror has shown time and time again that policies that don’t respect human rights are bound to fail,” Houry said. “You can think of Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, but you can also think about the main prisons in the Arab world ... The injustice and the torture [carried out in these prisons] have actually been direct contributing factors to [ISIS].”
The year 2014 saw a range of security crackdowns by the Lebanese Army and security forces as they attempted to address the array of security threats – seen as a spillover from the civil war in neighboring Syria – that faced the country. These included two security plans in Tripoli and clashes with the Nusra Front and ISIS in Arsal when they tried to overrun the border town of Arsal.
The chapter on Lebanon from the 25th annual report by HRW highlighted that many Syrian refugees were prevented from leaving Arsal during the clashes and both sides were reported to have shot indiscriminately at civilian targets. Some 59 civilians – 44 Syrians and 15 locals – were killed in the fighting.
The increased security measures during the year have led to several countries – most notably the United States and Saudi Arabia – pouring military aid into Lebanon over the course of the past year.
Executive Director of Human Rights Watch Kenneth Roth told The Daily Star that this aid should be contingent on respect for human rights, as this is the most effective way to resolve security issues.
“We are finding that, particularly when there is a security incident, whether in Arsal or a bombing in Tripoli, even the Army has been resorting to torture,” Roth said. “I think those are the kind of abuses that can begin to backfire if they alienate the local population and make it harder to gain that population’s co-operation in fighting against that security threat.”
The report also referenced a study by the U.N. Committee Against Torture that found that “torture in Lebanon is a pervasive practice that is routinely used” by security services.
While the Army was not available for comment Thursday, Lt. Gen. Joseph Moussallem, chief of communications for the Internal Security Forces, said the ISF has many mechanisms for raising complaints, including via social media.
All specific cases are investigated and addressed, he added.
The prosecution of journalists for “defaming” or criticizing the state was also condemned by the report. It highlighted the charges brought against bloggers Jean Assy and Imad Bazzi and the Al-Akhbar journalists Rasha Abou Zaki and Mohammad Nazzal who were both fined.
“Ambiguous definitions of defamation and slander open the door for silencing legitimate criticism of public officials,” the report said.
The government’s handling of the Syrian refugee crisis was also discussed at length by Houry, specifically the measures designed to stem the influx flow of refugees – who now number over 1.1 million.
These measures included one introduced in May that bans the entry of Palestinians coming from Syria, and a range of new entry regulations for Syrian nationals introduced on Dec. 31. The new entry regulations categorize those crossing the border based on their reason for entry, such as travel, business or medical care, among others. A section for displaced persons was added later.
Houry said these new regulations violated international law as they could reject entry to people whose lives were in danger. The report also highlighted that the high cost and difficulty of renewing residency permits, combined with the fact that many refugees cannot return to Syria, often forcing them to stay in Lebanon illegally and risk being arrested.
Houry called on the Lebanese government to expand the requirements for Syrians coming into Lebanon in order to allow anyone that would qualify as a refugee into the country.
He also called on the government to meet the requirements of the U.N. Convention against Terrorism act, which Lebanon ratified in 2008, and set up a national institution to monitor detention facilities.
The report did commend Parliament’s passing of a protection against domestic violence law last year.
“It’s an important law, it has many flaws, but it is a step forward,” Houry said. “The enactment of this law shows that sustained lobbying can lead to results.”
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