Lebanon's Attorney General on Monday ordered an investigation into the alleged torture of some 20 Syrian refugees in detention, after Amnesty International published a report on the matter, the national agency reported. information (ANI).
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Last week, Amnesty denounced the “
cruel and discriminatory treatment
” inflicted on 26 Syrians in Lebanon - including four minors and two women - detained from a few months to several years since 2014. Among them, six men are still behind bars.
Reporting "
acts of torture
", Amnesty pointed to military intelligence, including its center in the Ablah region in the east of the country, as well as the General Security and the Ministry of Defense.
On Monday, Attorney General Ghassan Oueidat called on the government representative at the military court to "
open an investigation into Amnesty International's allegations concerning the arrest and torture of Syrian refugees detained on terrorism-related charges
», According to ANI.
"
The detainees said they had undergone some of the torture techniques commonly used in Syrian prisons
," Amnesty said, reporting "
beatings with iron bars, electric cables and plastic pipes
".
Some detainees claimed to have been suspended by the wrists, while others claimed to have been "
beaten on their sensitive parts
" (genitals), according to the NGO.
Lebanon says it hosts 1.5 million Syrians, including nearly a million refugees.
Nine out of ten live in extreme poverty, according to the UN, and human rights organizations regularly denounce the discrimination they suffer.
The Lebanese authorities have exerted increasing pressure in recent years for the return of refugees to Syria, despite warnings from NGOs about the risks of a return under current conditions.