Syrian Future Movement Participates in Meeting on Human Rights for Refugees and Torture Victims in Lebanon
The Director of the Research and Studies Department of the Syrian Future Movement, researcher Jomaa Mohammed Laheeb, participated in the event organized by the Cedar Center for Legal Studies at the Radisson Blu Martinez Hotel in Beirut, Lebanon. This event, referred to by the organizers as the “Round Table,” focused on obtaining human rights for refugees and victims of torture. It was held last Tuesday on June 25, 2024.
The “Round Table” was attended by political, judicial, and human rights figures, as well as civil and humanitarian activists from various nationalities.
The participants discussed the reality of refugees and emphasized the need to implement Law No. 65, which criminalizes torture, and Article 47 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which grants lawyers the right to attend the interrogations of detainees. They considered the application of these laws a challenge in Lebanon.
The objectives of the round table included raising awareness about the rights and challenges faced by refugees in Lebanon, the dimensions of the issue of torture and its impact on victims in Lebanon, and enhancing dialogue and cooperation among concerned parties to combat torture and ensure justice for the victims. Additionally, they aimed to provide the necessary mechanisms to obtain human rights for refugees and victims of torture.
The “Round Table” concluded with recommendations regarding Syrian refugees, which included: the immediate cessation of deportations, considering those registered with the UNHCR as legally residing and facilitating their legal residency, emphasizing the need to stop incitement and hate speech, and scrutinizing the funds flowing into Lebanon to assist with the refugee issue to ensure they serve as a positive factor.
The main recommendations regarding torture emphasized the necessity of applying Article 47 and Law No. 65, investigating complaints of torture by various security agencies, and referring related cases to administrative rather than military courts.
After the meeting, the Director of the Research and Studies Department of the Syrian Future Movement, researcher Jomaa Mohammed Laheeb, thanked the organizers for the event and the invitation, entrusting them with the continuation of the Arab Spring and showcasing its true civilized face by upholding the efforts calling for the implementation of human rights laws and preserving state institutions from corruption and collapse, and stopping torture. He noted that these issues are the spirit of the Syrian and Lebanese revolutions, and the Arab Spring in general, before it was turned into military and sectarian conflicts by the parties harmed by these calls.
The Syrian Future Movement hopes that the voice of the state and the law will prevail in Lebanon and that the Lebanese experience will be transferred to Syria to benefit from the expertise of the Cedar Center and other Lebanese centers in addressing the dysfunction in the various authorities in the country. This would allow Lebanon to regain its leadership in the legal and humanitarian fields and be a cornerstone in the Middle East for impactful legal and democratic work on Syria and the region
The Director of the Research and Studies Department of the SFM with lawyer Mr. Mohammed Sablouh.
