Caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi at Baabda Palace, on Nov. 18, 2021. (Credit: Dalati and Nohra)
BEIRUT — Caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi said on Wednesday that it was necessary to "regulate the presence" of Syrian refugees in Lebanon and prevent any potential "security incident" amid increasing anti-refugee rhetoric.
Mawlawi made his statement after meeting on Wednesday with Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdel-Latif Derian in Beirut's Dar al-Fatwa. Afterward, several cabinet ministers met at the Grand Serail to discuss refugees.
Earlier on Tuesday Mawlawi issued an "urgent" directive to the General Directorate of the Security Forces on Tuesday evening, forbidding "demonstrations by Syrian refugees and counter-demonstrations."
In his directive, Mawlawi said this ban comes after "calls to demonstrate on April 26, 2023, in front of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to protest against the silence of this UN agency against forced evictions" of Syrian nationals from Lebanese territory.
He added that a counter-demonstration organized by "The National Campaign to Free Lebanon from Syrian Demographic Occupation" is also scheduled to take place at the same time. That protest was later canceled.
"The calls for these demonstrations may cause security incidents between demonstrators," Mawlawi warned, adding that he aims to preserve "the security of citizens and civil peace."
On Monday, Amnesty International called on the Lebanese authorities to "stop the illegal deportation of Syrian refugees," fearing that they would be "tortured or persecuted" by the Syrian government upon their forced return.
The call comes after Lebanon deported some 50 Syrian nationals in April, amid increased anti-Syrian rhetoric in the country.
"We continue to assume our responsibilities and monitor the security situation," said Mawlawi on Wednesday from Dar al-Fatwa. He also said that "we are taking precautions to prevent any security incident from happening, hence our willingness to organize the presence of Syrians in Lebanon."
"Lebanese law must be respected and that the Syrians present in Lebanon are subject to the Lebanese Constitution and their presence must therefore be regulated."
He also warned against any "incitement against the Lebanese army and the state."
Lebanon has made several attempts at repatriation, which officials have described as voluntary. But human rights groups have decried the repatriations as forced amid reports of persecution and reprisals upon their return to Syria.