Syrian refugees in Lebanon find themselves compelled to return to their homeland, despite the lack of safe options and alternatives for remaining in Lebanon, as well as the security risks and instability they face. These refugees are trapped in a dilemma, balancing the insecurity and scarcity of resources in Lebanon against the absence of security guarantees upon their return to Syria. This harsh reality forces them to make difficult decisions, exacerbating their suffering and deepening the humanitarian crisis.

In areas under Syrian government control, there has been a surge in arbitrary arrests of returning Syrian displaced persons who were forced to flee from intensive Israeli bombardments on Lebanese cities and towns, with security forces pursuing them.

Human rights organizations have documented the arrest of over 40 returning Syrians in recent weeks, with reports of one individual dying under torture in Syrian regime prisons. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the arrest of 43 returnees from Lebanon since the beginning of this month, among whom 35 faced charges from the regime's security apparatus for “deserting mandatory military service.” Moreover, one citizen died as a result of torture in detention.

 

Reports indicate that many of these detainees are subjected to torture and ill-treatment inside detention centers without clear charges, worsening their suffering and adding to the record of violations against Syrian civilians. Many of the displaced have become targets for these arbitrary arrests, which sometimes include allegations of desertion from military service, while others are taken to unknown locations without any disclosure of their fate. The Syrian Network for Human Rights confirmed in a report on Tuesday regarding Syrian refugees returning from Lebanon, titled “The Struggles of Return: Severe Violations Faced by Syrian Refugees Returning from Lebanon,” that the regime arrested more than 26 individuals from September 23 to October 25 of this year.

The report, which spans 20 pages, highlights that Syrian refugees in Lebanon are facing deteriorating conditions that put them in a severe crisis to meet their basic needs for food, housing, and healthcare. 

According to the Syrian Network, despite some cases of partial and forced returns of Syrian refugees, Syria “remains an unsafe environment for them, as the Syrian regime continues its repressive practices of arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and torture.” Since the beginning of this year, the regime has forcibly arrested at least 208 returnees, including two children and six women, with six of those detained dying under torture in custody. The regime continues to issue legislation that allows it to seize the properties of refugees and forcibly displaced persons as part of a systematic policy to strengthen its control over the lands and properties left behind by their owners.

In this context, Fadel Abdul Ghani, director of the Syrian Network for Human Rights, stated, “In the absence of any measures to ensure the rights and safety of returnees, Syrian refugees returning from Lebanon face security and legal challenges that require the establishment of real and effective mechanisms to guarantee the protection of their rights and prevent ongoing violations, especially by the security forces of the Syrian regime. Forced returns without adequate guarantees exacerbate the humanitarian situation in Syria, necessitating urgent measures from the international community to improve the conditions of returnees and secure their basic rights.”

The report documents numerous violations, including arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, torture, and forced conscription by Syrian regime forces, as well as financial extortion and discrimination in the distribution of humanitarian aid. It also outlines the harsh procedures some conflict parties have adopted to facilitate the return of refugees to their areas, including controlling the opening and closing of crossings, conducting security investigations, and requiring sponsorship, alongside the difficult humanitarian conditions faced by refugees when crossing between different controlled areas.

According to the Syrian Network's database, at least 26 refugees, including one woman, were documented as arrested after returning from Lebanon to escape the escalating conflict between Israel and Lebanon during the period from September 23 to October 25, 2024. Among these, four were taken for compulsory or reserve conscription, while one detainee was killed as a result of torture in detention, with his body returned to his family. These figures highlight the regime's ongoing repressive approach toward returnees and demonstrate the lack of genuine guarantees despite the formal measures imposed upon them, reinforcing the notion that the current violations are not significantly different from those that initially drove them to flee, with arrest, forced conscription, and enforced disappearance becoming an increasingly grim reality for their lives.

The report noted that Lebanese refugees benefited from official shelters numbering about 30 centers distributed across the provinces of Rural Damascus, Tartus, Latakia, Homs, Hama, and Aleppo, whereas most Syrian refugees, particularly those whose homes were destroyed, remain without official shelter. Many had to rely on support from relatives or seek refuge in informal gatherings; others spent extended periods outdoors, with some families receiving assistance from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees through local partners linked to the Syrian regime, though this aid has been insufficient to meet their basic needs.

The UNHCR recently announced that approximately