Lebanon’s municipalities, under the supervision of the General Security, began a systematic census of the Syrians to obtain necessary information about their presence in the country.
The mayor of Hazmieh, in Mount Lebanon, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the municipality has started a month ago to fill out forms at the request of the General Security, to include information about Syrian residents and workers in the town.
He added that the forms would be handed over to the General Security on a weekly basis.
However, the work of the General Security, which requires legal and clear procedures, comes in tandem with violations including mass expulsion of Syrians in certain towns or “vague investigations” of some Syrians by the Syrian-Lebanese intelligence apparatuses.
A Syrian construction worker told Asharq Al-Awsat that the state security apparatus summoned him for interrogation. Other Syrians were also waiting for their turn, their faces to the wall. When his turn came, they began asking him routine questions about his work and residence in Lebanon, his salary and his sponsor. The investigation also included questions about his family, who is residing in Syria, and details about each family member.
“As I entered the security intelligence building, I felt I was in Syria, both in terms of unfriendly procedures and repeated questions to find out if I was lying. Officers emphasized that shallow answers were forbidden. They told me literally: Your answers must be either black or white,” he said.
Asharq Al-Awsat asked the State Security about the interrogations and why the Syrians are being summoned. The spokesman replied: “What's in it?” This was a sign that the apparatus has no clear answer or explanation.
The head of the Lebanese Center for Human Rights and the Euro-Mediterranean Network for Rights, Wadih Asmar, said the measures adopted by one of the centers of the state security apparatus were not normal.
He told Asharq Al-Awsat that the summonses must be based on suspicion and judicial order. But in such cases, they are made without legal justification.
Human Rights Watch said in a report published recently that at least 13 municipalities in Lebanon forcibly deported 3,364 Syrian refugees from their homes and expelled them from the municipalities, apparently because of their nationality or religion, while 42,000 refugees still face eviction.
“Many of the Lebanese municipalities have taken measures against the Syrian refugees under the pretext of maintaining security and have adopted racist decisions, including prohibiting refugees from circulating at night,” Asmar said.
