The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) documented arbitrary detention operations that targeted Syrian refugees returning from Lebanon, fleeing the escalating Israeli air raids since September 23rd.

In a report today, Wednesday, October 2, the SNHR documented the arrest of at least nine Syrian refugees, mostly from Rif Dimashq (Damascus countryside) province, for mandatory and reserve conscription.

The SNHR indicated that the arrests occurred at official and unofficial border crossings between Lebanon and Syria, with most being taken to security and military detention centers in the provinces of Homs and Damascus.

On June 20, the SNHR issued a report on the occasion of World Refugee Day, stating that it had documented at least 4714 cases of detention of returning refugees and displaced persons by Syrian government forces, from the beginning of 2014 until June 2024.

The report indicated that of the 4714 detainees, the regime released only 2402, while 2312 remain in detention, with 1521 of them turned into forcibly disappeared persons.

Other human rights entities and organizations have issued reports on the regime’s detention of returning refugees to Syria, including a report by Amnesty International titled “You’re Going to Your Death” and a Human Rights Watch report titled “Our Lives Are Like Death.”

Thousands returned from Lebanon

A report by the Lebanese Disaster Risk Management Unit issued Tuesday, October 1, stated that the number of displaced persons entering Syria between September 23 and 30 was approximately 240,000, including 176,080 Syrians and 63,373 Lebanese.

In the same context, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced on Monday that about 100,000 people had crossed from Lebanon to Syria since the escalation of violence in Lebanon.

The Commission reported that 60% of those crossing were Syrians and 40% were Lebanese, while the number of children under 18 years old constituted about 60% of all arrivals to Syria, confirming a remarkable number of displaced children.

The arrests documented by the SNHR of returning Syrians coincided with the increase in the number of Syrians returning from Lebanon and the reluctance of adult males to return, preferring to stay in Lebanon for fear of arrest for security reasons or evading mandatory service in the regime’s army.

Statistics on arbitrary detention

According to the latest report from the SNHR, the number of cases of arbitrary detention in Syria during last September was 206 cases, including nine children and 17 women; 158 cases turned into enforced disappearances.

The regime forces were responsible for 128 cases, the Syrian National Army (SNA) factions for 38 cases, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) for 21 cases, and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) for 19 cases.

The number of cases of arbitrary detention in Syria during the first half of this year was 1236 cases, including 56 children and 30 women, with 1007 of them turning into enforced disappearances.

The Syrian regime is considered responsible for about 88% of the total recorded cases of arbitrary detention, having detained 549 people, including eight children and 14 women, during the first six months of 2024.