[LCM Articles] Lebanon: End Abuse of Palestinians Fleeing Refugee Camp

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Lebanon: End Abuse of Palestinians Fleeing Refugee Camp
Human Rights Watch, July 2007

http://tadamon.resist.ca/index.php/post/780

The Lebanese army and internal security forces have arbitrarily detained and 
physically abused some Palestinian men fleeing the fighting in Nahr al-Bared 
refugee camp, Human Rights Watch said today.

Since Sunday, more than 340 civilians have fled the camp in northern Lebanon, 
where fighting between the Lebanese army and the armed group Fatah al-Islam has 
entered its fourth week. The Lebanese army is interrogating many of the men as 
they leave the camp, and detaining those suspected of supporting or having 
information about Fatah al-Islam.

In some cases, Palestinian men who fled Nahr al-Bared have told Human Rights 
Watch that military interrogators ill-treated them in detention and during 
interrogations, apparently to extract information about Fatah al- Islam.

"Lebanese forces can question Palestinians from Nahr al-Bared about Fatah 
al-Islam, but resorting to physical abuse is clearly against Lebanese law and 
international human rights standards," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East 
director of Human Rights Watch.

The army is interrogating some Palestinian detainees at the Kobbeh military 
base near Tripoli, about 16 kilometers from Nahr al-Bared. Other interrogations 
have taken place at checkpoints and private houses near the camp.

In one case documented by Human Rights Watch, the Lebanese military detained a 
21-year-old Palestinian man from Nahr al-Bared for interrogation at different 
locations for four days. During the interrogations, he was at various times 
punched and slapped by army interrogators.

"They put me back in a cell and I slept blindfolded with my hands tied," he 
told Human Rights Watch about his third night in detention. "I heard screams 
from other rooms: "My arm! My hand!". The army gave him food twice in four 
days, he said.

In another case, the army interrogated three young Palestinian men in a private 
house near Nahr al-Bared camp. According to two of the young men, members of 
Lebanese military intelligence subjected them to kicks, punches and beatings 
with rifle butts.

"They beat me with their hands, feet and even their weapons on the arms, hands 
back, and even my face and legs," one of the men told Human Rights Watch. "It 
lasted, on and off, for about three hours."

"They threatened me with a knife that they would cut off my toes if I didn't 
speak," he said.

Other Palestinians from Nahr al-Bared told Human Rights Watch how they were 
detained and questioned for a few hours, but not subjected to ill-treatment, 
and were then released. They knew of other Palestinian men detained with them 
and believed that these men remain in detention.

A Palestinian man inside Nahr al-Bared camp told Human Rights Watch by phone on 
Tuesday that news of abuse by the security forces was a great concern to those 
who have stayed in camp.

"Some Palestinians who want to flee Nahr al-Bared may stay put for fear of 
beatings and abuse by the army when they leave," said Whitson. "The Lebanese 
government must ensure that civilians can leave Nahr al-Bared safely and 
without fear of illegal detention or abuse."

In addition to detaining men as they leave Nahr al-Bared camp, Lebanese 
security forces have arrested and, in some cases, abused Palestinians at 
checkpoints in various areas of Lebanon.

In one case, soldiers stopped a 27-year-old Palestinian man as he drove near 
Nahr al-Bared and beat him near their checkpoint. "They hit me on the back with 
the butt of a Kalashnikov; I was bleeding from the nose," he told Human Rights 
Watch. "And then someone came, saying, 'your blood will spill like the blood of 
our martyrs,' and he kicked me. That's when my teeth fell out."

The government should also ensure that no Palestinians are subject to 
ill-treatment by the security forces, particularly when it appears to occur 
solely on the basis of their Palestinian identity, Human Rights Watch said.

According to the Lebanese army, 60 soldiers have died since fighting with Fatah 
al-Islam began on May 20. Eleven soldiers died and more than 100 were 
reportedly wounded over the past weekend alone.

Human Rights Watch has confirmed that at least 20 civilians have lost their 
lives in shelling and sniper fire from both sides.

The last two victims were Lebanese Red Cross workers, who died on Monday from 
an explosion at their first aid post about three kilometers from the northern 
entrance of the camp. The cause of the explosion remains unclear.

According to the United Nations, more than 30,000 Palestinians have fled Nahr 
al-Bared, most of them settling in the nearby Baddawi refugee camp. An 
estimated 3,000 civilians remain inside the camp.

Palestinians displaced from Nahr al-Bared frequently left the camp without 
their identity cards. Some with identity cards said they are afraid to travel 
for fear of detention and abuse.

"The Palestinians of Nahr al-Bared are caught in the middle of a terrible 
fight," Whitson said. "Just because they have stayed in the camp this long 
doesn't mean they are connected to Fatah al-Islam."

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