Lebanese border guards killed Syrian woman and wounded her daughter
On Sunday, September 17, 2023, Lebanese border guards killed a Syrian woman (Tajah Jaber Mohammed Al-Tarshan) and wounded her 10-year-old daughter in the foot when live bullets were fired at them as they attempted to illegally enter Lebanese territory. The victim and her daughter are from the town of Al-Shamitiyah in the western countryside of Deir ez-Zor.
This incident occurred less than a week after the Lebanese Army Commander, General Joseph Aoun, stated, “Smuggling across the borders has become an existential threat, and we can no longer tolerate it. We may have to engage with them, or we may tell the army not to interfere, so that they can attack you, giving us an excuse to kill them legally.”
On September 13, 2023, a Syrian young man was killed, and two others were injured by the explosion of two landmines in the Wadi Khalid area while attempting to enter Lebanese territory.
Several refugee camps for Syrians in various parts of Lebanon have also been subjected to serious violations by the Lebanese army in recent days. The army has conducted raids, arrests, demolished tents, displaced residents, confiscated solar panels, internet devices, motorcycles, cars, and destroyed properties. Dozens of people have been arrested and deported to Syria. Some women and elderly individuals have been subjected to physical abuse and mistreatment, and detainees have been tortured in security branches.
The Syrian Human Rights Committee (SHRC) condemns the use of lethal force against Syrian refugees and holds the Lebanese authorities responsible for it, considering it a war crime under international laws.
SHRC also reminds the Lebanese authorities of their significant role in the waves of displacement and the Syrian crisis when sectarian and partisan Lebanese militias, loyal to the Bashar al-Assad regime and participating in the Lebanese government and paliament, invaded places such as Al-Qusayr, Talkalakh, Qalat Al-Hosn, Homs, the countryside of Hama, the countryside of Damascus, Al-Qalamoun, and others. They committed heinous massacres, causing the displacement of their residents, with their only destination being the west towards Lebanon.
SHRC also highlights the shameful human rights record of the Lebanese authorities, where Syrian refugees have been exploited and dozens of Syrians have been killed with impunity. Lebanese authorities have burned dozens of refugee camps, demolished many others, arrested refugees, and deported them to the Assad regime without regard for their fate, leading to their arrest, torture, and facing the worst fate in the world’s worst prisons.
The Syrian people were in their homes, farms, factories, businesses when sectarian and partisan Lebanese militias, along with the oppressive and cruel regime’s security forces, attacked them, causing significant loss of life and the displacement of half of the Syrian population in all directions.
The international community and regional climate, indifferent to the human rights of the Syrians, has aided Lebanese authorities in their repressive actions and crimes against Syrians. It has also turned a blind eye to the involvement of sectarian and partisan Lebanese militias in their killing and displacement.
SHRC calls on the international community to take serious steps to protect the lives of Syrians in Lebanon, on the Lebanese-Syrian border, and to protect the rights of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, allowing them the dignified opportunity to return to their homeland.
The Syrian Human Rights Committee
September 17, 2023