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"Some Palestinians who want to flee Nahr al-Bared may stay put for fear of beatings and abuse by the army when they leave," said the HRW.(Reuters) |
CAIRO — An international human rights watchdog on Wednesday, June 13, accused the Lebanese army of detaining and abusing Palestinians fleeing the bombed-out, besieged Nahr al-Bared refugee camp.
"In addition to detaining men as they leave Nahr al-Bared camp, Lebanese security forces have arrested and, in some cases, abused Palestinians at checkpoints in various areas of Lebanon," Human Rights Watch said in a statement posted on its website.
It said the army arbitrarily detained and physically abused Palestinians to extract information about the militant Fatah al-Islam group.
The group cited the case of a 27-year-old Palestinian who was stopped and beaten by army soldiers while driving near Nahr al-Bared.
"They hit me on the back with the butt of a Kalashnikov; I was bleeding from the nose," the man told HRW.
"And then someone came, saying, 'your blood will spill like the blood of our martyrs,' and he kicked me. That’s when my teeth fell out."
In another case, the army interrogated three young Palestinian men in a private house near Nahr al-Bared camp.
"They beat me with their hands, feet and even their weapons on the arms, hands back, and even my face and legs," one of them told HRW.
"It lasted, on and off, for about three hours.
"They threatened me with a knife that they would cut off my toes if I didn’t speak."
At least 144 people, including 62 soldiers, have been killed in deadly clashes between the army and Al-Qaeda-inspired Fatah al-Islam group.
More than 30,000 Palestinian refugees have fled the Nahr al-Bared camp since the fighting erupted, according to UN estimates.
Trapped
The New York-based HRW warned that the army abuses have left many trapped refugees reluctant to flee the besieged camp for fears of similar ordeal.
"Some Palestinians who want to flee Nahr al-Bared may stay put for fear of beatings and abuse by the army when they leave," said Sarah Leah Whitson, HRW's Middle East director.
An estimated 3,000 civilians are believed to be living in very difficult conditions inside the camp, bombed daily by the Lebanese army.
"The Palestinians of Nahr al-Bared are caught in the middle of a terrible fight," said Whitson.
"Just because they have stayed in the camp this long doesn’t mean they are connected to Fatah al-Islam," she insisted.
Whitson urged the Lebanese forces to abide by international human rights laws while interrogating fleeing Palestinians.
"Lebanese forces can question Palestinians from Nahr al-Bared about Fatah al-Islam, but resorting to physical abuse is clearly against Lebanese law and international human rights standards," she insisted.
"The Lebanese government must ensure that civilians can leave Nahr al-Bared safely and without fear of illegal detention or abuse."
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