A Syrian refugee girl walking past a tent, while holding a bucket, in a refugee camp in Bar Elias in the Bekaa. (Credit: João Sousa/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — Lebanon’s General Security will collect "complete data from Syrians in Lebanon itself at its centers when they come to submit the required documents needed for obtaining the legal Lebanese residency permit if the UN agency for refugees, UNHCR, does not submit the required data the state is asking for," interim head of General Security Elias Baissari told L’Orient Today on Thursday.
Baissari said on Wednesday, in a meeting chaired by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati at the Grand Serail, that Lebanese authorities had requested once again that UNHCR provide "complete data" on Syrian refugees, or "we will resort to Plan B to obtain it ourselves."
"The residency permit, which needs to be renewed almost yearly, is mandatory for UNHCR to officially register them. So if UNHCR insists that it will not give us the full data, we will ask for it ourselves when they come to the General Security’s centers, and if they refuse to give it, we will not issue the residence permit, which means they will be living illegally in Lebanon and the government can then take action against them," Baissari explained to L'Orient Today. Notably, Baissari did not provide a time frame for taking action.
"UNHCR is committed to continued dialogue on the issue of data-sharing with the Government of Lebanon, with whom further meetings will be held to discuss the request for additional data according to international data protection standards," UNHCR spokesperson Lisa Abu Khaled told L’Orient Today.
"UNHCR’s standard approach is to support Lebanon while upholding our international data protection obligations and adhering to international refugee law," Abu Khaled explained.
UNHCR handed the Lebanese state 'incomplete data'
On June 14, after a cabinet meeting, caretaker Minister of Information Ziad Makari had said that the data handed over to the Lebanese State by UNHCR in Lebanon was "incomplete," lacking an "essential component," namely "the date of entry of these refugees into Lebanese territory."
"UNHCR and the Lebanese Government reached a data-sharing agreement on August 8 last year. In line with the agreement, UNHCR effected a one-off transfer of basic biodata of Syrian refugees in Lebanon in December 2023. By completing this transfer of personal data, UNHCR fulfilled its commitment under the August 8, 2023, agreement," Abu Khaled explained.
"The Lebanese government has committed to not using any shared data for purposes contrary to international law, reaffirming its commitment to the principle of non-refoulement and its obligations under international law," Abu Khaled concluded. Under international human rights law, the principle of non-refoulement ensures that no one is returned to a country where they would torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and other irreparable harm. This principle applies to all migrants at all times, regardless of their migration status.
In May, General Security announced a series of restrictive measures aimed at "containing and regulating the issue of Syrians present in Lebanon," at a time when the country is facing an upsurge in xenophobic acts against them, and the resumption of "voluntary and safe returns" of Syrians to their country.
Several "voluntary return" convoys were organized between 2018 and 2022, with the aim of "assisting" Syrians, refugees in Lebanon since the start of the war in their country in 2011, to return home.
This process has often been criticized by international organizations such as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Amnesty International, who view it as disguised expulsions.