Home to over 1.5 million Syrian refugees (according to government estimates), Lebanon has witnessed the use of Syrian refugees as scapegoats by the political class. Recently, anti-Syrian refugee discourse has heightened in Lebanon, coupled with dangerous attempts at harming Syrian refugees in several parts of the country. In this episode, Michelle Eid and Nadine Khechen challenge common myths that are perpetuated in some Lebanese spaces against refugees and discuss the effects of international policies on refugee status in Lebanon. They go over the series of arbitrary arrests and forced deportation of Syrian refugees during April & May of 2023, discuss the government’s role in violence against refugee communities in Lebanon, and explore EU externalization policies, which have affected Lebanon’s role as a host state, as well as the lives of many refugees who remain the country.
Nadine Khechen is a human rights lawyer and a researcher in the MENA region. She is currently taking part in a research project focused on the interconnectedness of refugee return policies between the Global North and Global South, which she refers to in the episode. The project is funded by the Swiss Network for International Studies.
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