Click to expand Image Open burning of waste in Majadel, south Lebanon. © 2017 Human Rights Watch

Lebanon’s ongoing waste management crisis poses serious health risks for the country’s residents. Take action today and tell the government to #StopTheBurning! Take Action

“Despite some long-awaited reforms, we are deeply troubled by what appears to be a closing space for freedom of expression in Lebanon,” said Lama Fakih , deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities have the chance in 2018 to improve conditions in the country by passing long stalled rights reforms.”

In the 643-page World Report, its 28th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 90 countries. In his introductory essay , Executive Director Kenneth Roth writes that political leaders willing to stand up for human rights principles showed that it is possible to limit authoritarian populist agendas. When combined with mobilized publics and effective multilateral actors, these leaders demonstrated that the rise of anti-rights governments is not inevitable.

Human Rights Watch documented new reports of torture by Lebanese security forces during 2017, including by the Internal Security Forces and Lebanese Armed Forces. On July 4, the Lebanese military issued a statement saying that four Syrians had died in its custody amid allegations of torture. The army said the men had died of natural causes but has not publicly released the results of its own investigation. Lebanon also tries civilians, including children, in military courts , in violation of their due process rights and international law.

Lebanon’s waste management crisis has led to widespread open burning of waste, risking a range of short term and long term health effects among local residents.

As the Syrian refugee crisis continued , an estimated 80 percent of the approximately 1.5 million refugees lack legal status, leaving them vulnerable to arrest, abuse, and exploitation. The lack of legal status also contributes to poverty and child labor and restricts Syrians’ access to education and health care. Lebanon waived burdensome residency fees for some Syrians in February.