Lebanon - Latest Publications

LBN - News

Lebanon: Another Case of Confessions Made under Torture

LBN - News | 11 May 2016

On 14 January 2016, members of the Intelligence forces in civilian clothes stormed into the house of 37-year-old Haytham Fatima in Tripoli. They arrested him and took him to the premises of the Ministry of Defence, where he was secretly detained for ten days.

Lebanon: Lawyer Nabil Al Halabi, at Risk of Prosecution for Criticising the Minister of Interior in a Facebook Post

LBN - News | 10 May 2016

Nabil Al Halabi, Lebanese lawyer and director of the Lebanese Institute for Democracy and Human Rights (LIFE), has always been a vocal critic of corruption, the use of military courts and torture in Lebanon. Al Halabi has always been actively and frankly expressing his political views on his Facebook account.

With a 15-year delay, Lebanese authorities submit their report to UN Committee against Torture

LBN - News | 07 April 2016

Lebanon submitted its initial report, overdue since 2001, to the United Nations Committee against Torture (CAT), a body of 10 independent experts, on 9 March 2016. The Convention against Torture (UNCAT) requires that State parties submit an initial report on the measures taken to implement the Convention within one year after its entry into force – 2000 for Lebanon – for the CAT to make comments and issues recommendations.

Lebanon shows limited willingness to improve human rights situation

LBN - News | 11 March 2016

Country representatives sit with their back to the camera, in Assembly Hall of Palace of Nations, Geneva (Switzerland) On 2 November 2015, the United Nations Member States reviewed the human rights situation in Lebanon in the context of the country’s second Universal Periodic Review (UPR) – an interactive discussion between the State under review and other UN Member States which takes place every four years. During the review, the UN Member States made 219 recommendations to Lebanon in order to improve the human rights situation in the country, most of which were based on concerns raised by NGOs, including Alkarama in its report. Last week, Lebanon presented its views on the recommendations received, accepting 130 of them while only “noting” 89.

Lebanon: Syrian National Tortured by Military Intelligence in Order to Extract Confessions

LBN - News | 25 February 2016

On 4 April 2016, 21-year-old Syrian baker Malaz Asaad will have the next hearing of his trial. He is facing terrorism charges, which are based on confessions he made under torture while detained in the Rihanyie military barracks in 2014. In view of these facts, on 25 February 2016, Alkarama sent an urgent appeal to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (SRT), Juan E. Méndez, asking him to call upon the Lebanese authorities to open an investigation into the acts of torture he was subjected to and drop all charges based on confessions obtained through torture.

Lebanon - HR Instruments

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)

ICCPR: Accessed on 03.11.1972
Optional Protocol: No

State report: Overdue since 21.03.2001 (3rd)
Last concluding observations: 05.05.1997

Convention against Torture (CAT)

CAT: Accessed on 05.10.2000
Optional Protocol: Yes
Art. 20 (Confidential inquiry): Yes
Art. 22 (Individual communications): No

State report: Overdue since 03.11.2001 (1st)
Last concluding observations: N/A

International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance (CED)

CED: Signed on 06.02.2007

Universal Periodic Review (UPR)

Last review: 11.2010 (1st cycle)
Next review: 2015 (2nd cycle)

National Human Rights Institution (NHRI)

No