Inmates walking in a corridor of Roumieh prison in Lebanon. (Credit: Illustrative photo/AFP)
BEIRUT — A member of the municipal police in the village of Bzibina in Akkar governorate physically assaulted a Syrian refugee minor, whom he accused of stealing his son's wallet, according to a statement issued by the municipality. The boy's family rejected the accusation of theft and filed a complaint, L'Orient Today's correspondent in the area reported.
A photo circulating on social media shows the body of a boy marked with multiple traces of whiplash. The young Syrian aged 15 years, filed a complaint at the Beino police station and an investigation has been opened, L'Orient Today's correspondent reported.
A Syrian refugee allegedly assaulted by a police officer in the municipality of Bzebina, Akkar, North Lebanon, Feb. 13, 2023. (Courtesy of: Michel Hallak/L'Orient Today)
'Personal incident'
Reacting to this case, the municipality of Bzibina said in a statement that "the incident is personal, and did not take place while the [suspect] was performing his duties as a policeman."
Condemning the "inhumane attitude" of the policeman, the municipality assured "good treatment of refugees settled in the village." It accused the young boy of "stealing the wallet of the policeman's son, which contained money and his papers." The wallet "was returned to its owner after the incident," the text concluded.
These accusations were rejected by the family of the young Syrian, according to local media outlet Megaphone, which claims that the young refugee is not responsible for the theft. He was, however, accused of it by the municipal police officer who allegedly kidnapped him last Sunday, took him to a remote location, beat him and threatened to kill him by firing shots. The officer then filmed a "forced confession" of the robbery, according to Megaphone.
L'Orient-Le Jour was unable to reach the young boy's family for further information. The president of the municipality of Bzibina, for his part, did not respond to requests for comment.
Violence against Syrian refugees is common in Lebanon. In July 2022, the Internal Security Forces arrested a father and his three children for their alleged involvement in the death of a 14-year-old Syrian child, Khaled al-Saleh, in the southern Lebanese town of Sarafand. A video of a man violently attacking children working as agricultural laborers also caused a scandal in recent months.
Violence is sometimes institutionalized. In September, members of State Security were accused of torturing a Syrian detainee to death. And in 2021, the NGO Amnesty International denounced "acts of torture" inflicted on Syrian refugees in Lebanon, including minors, criticizing "cruel and discriminatory treatment.
Additional reporting by Michel Hallak
