discrimination

Displaced Syrians, between an emergency plan that excludes them and the UNHCR that ignores them

In Saida, 145 displaced Syrian families are living in a parking lot due to their exclusion from the relief response outlined in Lebanon’s emergency plan, which prioritizes Lebanese citizens. Both the municipality and the UNHCR are refusing to carry the responsibility for their shelter, with the UNHCR advising refugees to seek shelter elsewhere, leaving many homeless. This piece calls for the UNHCR to fulfill its responsibility by either establishing shelters for displaced Syrians or advocating for non-discriminatory access to shelter with the Lebanese government.

Beirut Municipality removes the tents of the displaced in Ramlet el Bayda while using force and without securing alternatives

On Thursday October 31st, the security forces proceeded to remove the tents that were inhabited by more than seventy displaced persons in Ramlet al-Bayda, to transfer them to a new shelter in the Karantina area. However, these plans excluded non-Lebanese, causing them another displacement or homelessness.

The Right to the city and to housing during wars

It is not possible to imagine a war that would displace one fifth of the population, destroying the suburb of Beirut as well as the country’s southern and eastern region, bombing Lebanon’s entire …

Call regarding the Use of Public Spaces by Displaced Persons

The statement addresses the issue of displaced persons occupying public spaces due to the ongoing war and a rapid increase in displacement. In the initial phases, many displaced individuals sought refuge in open …

Kousba and the Beast:

The story of a municipality forcefully evicting Syrian refugees and preventing the Lebanese residents from protecting them

This narrative features Nermine, a 70 y.o lebanese woman, as she struggles to defend her tenants of 13 years, Fadi his wife and their child, from the municipality’s attempts to forcibly evict them …

Thousands of Syrians Forcibly Evicted in light of Discriminatory Circulars by Local Authorities 

Ten Conclusions based on the Housing Monitor data January 1 - July 14, 2024

We publish the Housing Monitor’s periodic report in the context of an unprecedented xenophobic campaign launched by the state and its parties to displace Syrian refugees, as state security, in cooperation with governors …

The Sin El Fil Municipality Circular Deprives Syrian Children of Their Right to Education

On June 25, 2024, the Sin El Fil Municipality issued a circular forcing new measures related to the presence of Syrian refugees within its jurisdiction. The circular includes two clauses. The first one …

The Lebanese Forces’ Draft Law Targeting Refugees and Migrants:

Banning Rental as a New Tool in the Incitement Campaign

Amidst the escalating campaign by the state against Syrian refugees, Deputy Melhem Riachi proposed on May 23, 2024, a draft law to prohibit landlords from renting to any non-Lebanese citizen who illegally entered …

The eviction of 1000+ residents from Al Waha Compound in Deddeh: On the tragedy of the housing of Syrians in Lebanon

Between May 19 and 20, 2024, news spread about the eviction of Al Waha Compound in Deddeh (Koura District, North Lebanon), which had been home to around 2,000 Syrian refugees for years. In …

Bourj Hammoud: media incitement, the municipality’s statement, and residents’ testimonies

Around two months ago, a video went viral showing a group of Lebanese men on motorcycles announcing a “warning deadline” to Syrians to vacate Bourj Hammoud via loudspeakers, causing widespread concern on social …

Local Authorities Normalize Illegality:

15 Discriminatory Circulars Against Syrians Documented Between April 9 and 24, 2024

Following the Cypriot President’s demand to the president of the European Commission Ursula Von der Leyen, to mediate between them and the Lebanese authorities, for the latters to prevent the boats of Syrian …

Collective evictions: The most prominent pattern in the Housing Monitor Report

Periodic Report | June - December 2023

This report covers cases received by the “Housing Monitor” from June to December 2023, documenting 345 cases, reaching a peak in August (143 cases). The majority of these cases originated from Syrian refugees …