New information

LBN 001 / 0518 / OBS 063.1

Release

Lebanon

May 16, 2018

The Observatory for the Protection ofHuman Rights Defenders, a partnership of FIDH and the World OrganisationAgainst Torture (OMCT), requests your urgent intervention in the followingsituation in Lebanon.

New information:

The Observatory has been informed byreliable sources about the release of Mr. Ghassan Abdullah, General Director of the Palestinian Human Rights Organization (PHRO).

Accordingto the information received, on May 16, 2018, Mr. Ghassan Abdullah was releasedfrom Ministry of Defense’spremises in Yarzeh, southeast of Beirut, after 48 hours in detention (seebackground information below).

Mr. Ghassan Abdullah was allegedly questioned about two trips heundertook to Palestine in 2013.

The Observatory welcomes Mr. Abdullah’s release, despite 48 hours ofarbitrary detention which threatened to seriously endanger Mr. Abdullah’sprecarious health condition. The Observatory further urges the Lebaneseauthorities to put an end to all forms of harassment and intimidation againsthim, as they only aim at silencing his peaceful and legitimate human rightsactivities.

Background information:

Onthe morning of May 14, 2018, Mr. Ghassan Abdullah presented himself to theLebanese General Security after being summoned for “security investigation”. Since then, he has only been allowed to contacthis mother once in order to ask her to get him his medicine, which he hasreceived through the NGO Caritas.

The next day, on May 15, 2018 Mr. Ghassan Abdullah was transferred to the Ministry of Defense’spremises in Yarzeh, southeast of Beirut.

Actions requested:

Please write to the authorities inLebanon, urging them to:

i.Ensure Mr. Ghassan Abdullah’sphysical and psychological integrity;

ii. Put an end to all forms of harassment and intimidationagainst Mr. Ghassan Abdullah and allhuman rights defenders in Lebanon;

iii. Comply with all the provisions of the UN Declarationon Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly onDecember 9, 1998, in particular with its Articles 1, 5(b), and 12.2;

iv. Ensure in all circumstances the respect for humanrights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the Universal Declaration ofHuman Rights and with international human rights instruments ratified byLebanon.

Addresses:

·Mr. Saad Hariri, Prime Minister, Grand Serail,Beirut, Lebanon. Fax: + 961 (0)1-983060

·Mr. Salim Jreissati, Minister of Justice, Ministry ofJustice, Adlieh, Beirut, Lebanon. Fax: +961 (0)1-612564

·Mr. Nouhad Machnouk, Minister of Interior, Ministryof Interior, Sanayeh, Beirut, Lebanon. Fax: +961 (0)1-751622

·Permanent Mission of Lebanon to the United Nations inGeneva, rue de Moillebeau 58, 1209 Geneva, Switzerland. E-mail:mission.lebanon@ties.itu.int, Fax : +41 22 791 85 80

Permanent Mission of Lebanon to the United Nations inNew York, 866 UnitedNations Plaza, New York, NY 10017. E-mail : contact@lebanonun.org, Telephone: +1 (212) 355-5460
Fax: +1 (212) 838-2819.

·Embassy of Lebanon inBrussels, rue G. Stocq, 2 1050 Brussels, Belgium. E-mail:ambassade.liban@brutele.be, Fax: +32 2.645.77.69

Please also write to the diplomaticrepresentations of Lebanon in your respective countries.

***

Paris-Geneva, May 16, 2018

Kindly inform us of any action undertakenquoting the code of this appeal in your reply.

The Observatory for theProtection of Human Rights Defenders (the Observatory) was created in 1997 bythe World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and FIDH. The objective of thisprogramme is to prevent or remedy situations of repression against human rightsdefenders. OMCT and FIDH are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European Union Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented byinternational civil society.

To contact the Observatory, call theemergency line:

• E-mail: Appeals@fidh-omct.org

• Tel and fax OMCT + 41(0) 22 809 49 39 / + 41 22 809 49 29

• Tel and fax FIDH: +33 (0) 1 43 55 25 18 / +33 1 43 55 18 80