Publications

Findings Report: Child Led Data Collection – 2016

The Child led Data Collection (CLDC) methodology engages young researchers in gathering evidence of children’s situations and child rights violations. The methodology is child friendly and produces qualitative and quantitative evidence of everyday needs and priorities which can be used to inform change. Policies and programmes can then use this evidence to focus on needs [...]

Guarantees during Court Proceedings, Detention and Appeal

Through the adoption of contemporary international procedures, the Lebanese legal system in theory guarantees due process and fair trials.  The  justice system now allows for civil lawsuits without recourse to the Sharia, the right to legal counsel in any criminal case, and an absolute protection against “double jeopardy”—a defendant may not be prosecuted twice for [...]

Guarantees during Arrest and Investigation

The principles of a fair trial are preserved by a wide array of international agreements and conventions that apply to citizens as well as the state.  The most significant of which are the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The state of Lebanon has ratified [...]

Exceptional Courts

In Lebanon, the concept of a fair trial is directly challenged due to the presence of several exceptional courts. Their presence creates a form of justice that is outside the scope of ordinary law, allowing for a judiciary that is separate and inexpedient,. This is embodied namely in the Military Court, the Judicial Council, the [...]

Annual Report 2015

The following report highlights Lebanon’s improvements and setbacks of the most pressing human rights issues in 2015. The Lebanese government has shown a willingness to comply with certain human rights matters, however it clearly lacks the capacity and funds to improve legislation, enforce laws, and report to the United Nations (UN) properly. With regard to [...]

Trapped in Lebanon: The alarming human rights situation of Syrian refugees in Lebanon

This report analyses the human rights and human security situation of refugees from Syria and their impact on the Lebanese society. Since the beginning of the conflict in Syria, Lebanon has received ever-increasing numbers of Syrian citizens and Palestinian refugees living in Syria who were seeking refuge. With almost one and a half million refugees [...]

Solutions to the Syrian Refugee Crisis

Lebanon has the highest concentration of refugees per capita and specifically, the highest number of Syrian refugees in the world. As of November 11th, 2014, over a million Syrian refugees were registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the equivalent to more than a quarter of Lebanon’s resident population. The international community [...]

Municipalities in the Protection of Human and Refugee Rights

There are currently over one million Syrian refugees situated in Lebanon, seriously impacting its society and political system. However, this number does not cover the total amount of Syrian refugees in Lebanon. There are many who have not registered with the UNHCR since the Lebanese government has temporarily suspended new registration of refugees as of [...]

Waste Management Demonstrations Documentation of Main Human Rights Violations Committed

In the summer of 2015, Lebanon’s streets were lined with trash. Sukleen, a trash company’s, contract was up and parliament could not decide who would be replacing it. The smell became so unbearable thousands of Lebanese rose to the streets in protest. A campaign that gained international fame called You Stink was thought to be [...]

Annual Report 2013

Lebanon’s 20th century civil war not only destabilized Lebanon, but also devastated the country’s development and protection of human rights. Its domestic legal order is now dysfunctional and often does not operate independently from the government. Today, the judicial system is subject to the whimsical decisions of statesmen and is constantly hijacked by opposing forces, [...]