Lebanon

NGOs Numbers
In 1992 the Lebanese government declared that 17,415 individuals went “missing” during the 1975-1990 civil war. Since that date, the number of “17,000 missing” has become conventionally accepted. However, this number is probably an overestimate as the first official commission charged with investigating the fate of the disappeared reported in 2000 that it collected only 2,312 names. The actual number is most likely much higher than the commission’s number as many families did not provide the commission with their missing relative’s information because they did not trust the commission or they had emigrated abroad. Other families of the disappeared may have been completely wiped out during the war, particularly among the Palestinian population, and such cases may have gone unreported.Although it is virtually impossible today to come up with a precise number, there is recognition among all human rights associations and organizations that “thousands” of Lebanese families await the truth about the fate of their loved ones.

UNWGEID Cases
311 disappearances have been denounced, and they all remain outstanding.

Context
During the Lebanese War of 1975-1990, a dozen armed groups at least, including the regular troops of Lebanon, Israel and Syria, resorted to the practice of kidnapping. The practice continued well under the Israeli[1] and Syrian[2] occupations. Some of the victims were released, but many disappeared and their fate was never determined.

In Lebanon, the issue of the enforced disappearances encompasses three categories of disappearances. Among the individuals who were kidnapped on Lebanese soil, the perpetrators and the fate of the missing are different.

1. The disappeared in Lebanon

A substantial majority of victims disappeared in Lebanon at the hands of the various militias, both Lebanese and Palestinian, which controlled the country during the war. The circumstances in which a majority of these thousands of people went missing make it highly likely that they were killed and that they will never be found alive.

At the present time, the only certain information is that numerous mass graves exist across the Lebanese territory. No serious investigation has even been conducted to identify their locations, and their numbers cannot be ascertained.Yet, to this day, no political decision has been made to carry out the inspection of mass graves. The few mass graves that surfaced were uncovered accidentally on construction sites, archeological sites, or because people reported seeing bones.

2. The disappeared and Incommunicado Detainees in Syria

Other victims were kidnapped by the Syrian Army or security services operating in Lebanon since 1976 (or proxy militias for Syria) and were extra-judicially transferred to Syrian prisons.

Since 1990, and in spite of the end of armed warfare, the Syrian army continued kidnapping Lebanese nationals inside Lebanese territory and illegally transferring them to prisons inside Syria, often with the assistance of the various Lebanese security services.

Some of the victims have probably been executed inside Syrian territory. According to testimonies by former detainees who were released from Syrian prisons, several Lebanese nationals are buried in Syria near the prison of Tadmor (Palmyra) and in a mass grave located not far from the prison of Mazze (Damascus).

However, testimonies by former detainees as well as other evidence collected suggests that several hundred Lebanese nationals may still be alive inside Syrian jails, and are being held incommunicado, often without even having had a trial, which is in violation of international covenants ratified by both Lebanon and Syria[3].

Despite such evidence, Lebanese and Syrian authorities continue to officially deny the incommunicado detention of Lebanese nationals in Syria. Yet, in March 1998, 121 detainees suddenly “reappeared” after their release from Syrian prisons. In December 2000, the Syrian authorities released 56 individuals including 48 Lebanese citizens some of whom had in fact been declared dead by Lebanese authorities.

Today, several families are able to prove their missing loved ones’ detention in Syria. Some families have information obtained from the Lebanese Army or from the Lebanese President himself – some even have official Lebanese and Syrian documents – allowing them to establish with certainty the detention of their family members in Syria. Others have testimonies of individuals who witnessed the kidnapping of former detainees who were released and who assert having been detained with the family member. Lastly, several families went to Syria and some were able to see that their family member was indeed held there.

3. The disappeared in Israel

Kidnappings were also committed by the Israeli Army (or by militias allied with Israel). During the Israeli occupation, many of these victims were detained or buried in South Lebanon. Others were transferred inside Israel and were buried in mass graves. For many years these people have been a bargaining chip in the negotiations between Israel and Hizbullah.

The negotiations concluded on July 16, 2008 when a swap of prisoners took place between Israel and Hizbullah and Hizbullah exchanged the remains of two Israeli soldiers captured in 2006 for five Lebanese prisoners and the remains of some 200 Lebanese and Palestinian fighters. After years of waiting, these hundreds of families were able to bury them in dignity and begin the process of mourning and closure.

[1] The Israeli army withdrew in 2000 from South Lebanon which it occupied since 1978.

[2] The Syrian army withdrew in 2005.

[3] The International Pact on Civil and Political Rights was signed by Lebanon on November 3, 1972 and by Syria on April 21, 1969. The Convention Against Torture or Other Cruel, Inhumane or Degrading Treatment was signed by Lebanon on November 4, 2000 and by Syria on August 19, 2004.

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