{"id":16525,"date":"2026-08-11T13:27:22","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T13:27:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/achrights.org\/?p=16525"},"modified":"2026-08-11T15:25:46","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T15:25:46","slug":"from-a-circulated-video-to-seven-years-of-documentation-we-call-for-an-independent-investigation-and-accountability-for-the-torture-and-ill-treatment-of-refugees-in-lebanon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/achrights.fr\/en\/2026\/08\/11\/16525\/","title":{"rendered":"From a Circulated Video to Seven Years of Documentation: We Call for an Independent Investigation and Accountability for the Torture and Ill-Treatment of Refugees in Lebanon\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Paris, France<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

11 August 2026<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Access Center for Human Rights (ACHR) expresses its deep concern over the wide circulation on social media of a video showing a Syrian national being beaten inside a hospital. According to the information circulating online, the incident took place at  Dar Al Amal University Hospital in the Baalbek area of the Bekaa, and allegedly involved members of the Lebanese Army, as well as hospital  nurses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of its efforts to verify  <\/s> <\/s> the information circulating online, ACHR team contacted relatives of the person shown in the footage, who confirmed that he is the same person appearing in the video and that the incident took place in August 2014, when  he was beaten by members of the Lebanese Army inside Dar Al Amal University Hospital in Baalbek. The relatives further confirmed that the person is still alive and is currently in Syria, where he is serving in the Syrian General Security apparatus under the Syrian Ministry of Interior. This contradicts claims circulated on social media that he died following the incident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Access\u00a0Center\u00a0for Human Rights (ACHR) welcomes the Lebanese Army’s statement on the measures it announced\u00a0regarding\u00a0the incident shown in the circulated video. On the evening of Monday, 10 August 2026, the Lebanese Army Command published a statement issued by the Directorate of Orientation, stating that videos circulating on social media, accompanied by allegations of the torture of detainees and the shooting of individuals by military personnel, are old footage filmed several years ago, and affirming that the necessary\u00a0measures were taken at the time. The Army Command also considered that the renewed circulation of these videos at the present stage aims to incite against the Army, tarnish its image, and create tension within Lebanon.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In parallel with the spread of the video, activists recirculated other footage said to document earlier cases of Syrians being beaten, tortured, and ill-treated by members of the Lebanese Army, particularly during the years preceding the fall of the former Syrian regime and in the context of the security events witnessed in the Arsal area in 2014. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Access\u00a0Center\u00a0for Human Rights (ACHR) documented\u00a0from September 2019 to June 2026 no fewer than\u00a0538 cases and testimonies relating to allegations of torture, ill-treatment, beating, and the use of force against Syrian refugees and against arrested, detained, and convicted persons in Lebanon. Of these, 329 cases were attributed to official Lebanese agencies, foremost among them agencies under the Ministry of\u00a0Defense, while other cases were committed by non-official actors without the Lebanese authorities taking effective measures for protection or accountability. This information has been precisely referenced in\u00a0ACHR’s\u00a0published reports and statements.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ACHR stresses that suspicion of any person’s involvement in a crime or security offense can under no circumstances justify subjecting them to torture or to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, in accordance with Article 401 of the Lebanese Penal Code (as amended by Law No. 65\/2017) and in line with Lebanon’s obligations under the United Nations Convention against Torture and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ACHR further affirms that the legal safeguards and fundamental rights guaranteed to arrested and detained persons, from the right to be brought before a judge within the legal time limits to the right to legal counsel, apply to all without exception, regardless of nationality, legal status, or the nature of the charges, in accordance with the principle of equality before the law enshrined in Article 7 of the Lebanese Constitution. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accordingly, the Access\u00a0Center\u00a0for Human Rights (ACHR) calls on the competent Lebanese authorities to:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Publish the results of the investigation and clarify the measures taken against those involved, in a manner that strengthens transparency and accountability before the public while preserving the confidentiality of victims and witnesses. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    1. Conduct effective and independent investigations into all allegations of torture and ill-treatment for which there are reasonable grounds warranting investigation, refer facts that disclose criminal elements to the competent judicial courts, and ensure the protection of victims, witnesses, and sources of information and the confidentiality of their data. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      1. Guarantee respect for the rights of suspects and of arrested and detained persons from the first moments of their deprivation of liberty, in particular the safeguards set out in Article 47 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, including the right to legal counsel and counsel’s presence during interrogation, contact with family, access to an interpreter where necessary, the right to request an independent medical examination, and the obligation to record interrogation proceedings in audio and video in accordance with the law. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
          \n
        1. Effectively implement Law No. 65\/2017 on the punishment of torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, and address legislative and practical shortcomings so as to bring the national framework into line with Lebanon’s obligations under the Convention against Torture and to ensure that perpetrators of violations do not escape accountability and punishment. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
            \n
          1. Ensure independent and effective oversight of all places of detention, enable the competent oversight bodies to carry out their functions without obstruction, and prevent any interference or pressure that would obstruct investigations, influence victims or witnesses, or conceal evidence and information relating to allegations of torture and ill-treatment. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

            End<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            Paris, France  11 August 2026  The Access Center for Human Rights (ACHR) expresses its deep concern over the wide circulation on social media of a video showing a Syrian national being beaten inside a hospital. According to the information circulating online, the incident took place at  Dar Al Amal University Hospital in the Baalbek area of the Bekaa, and allegedly involved members of the Lebanese […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":16526,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[144,226],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-16525","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news-and-events","8":"category-position-papers-and-statements-en"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/achrights.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/achrights.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/achrights.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/achrights.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/achrights.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16525"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/achrights.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16525\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16533,"href":"https:\/\/achrights.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16525\/revisions\/16533"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/achrights.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/achrights.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/achrights.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/achrights.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}