Source: Amnesty International –
In a high-level visit to Lebanon from 23 to 25 November, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard, called on Lebanese authorities to take concrete steps towards accountability for violations of international humanitarian law during the armed conflict with Israel, justice for victims of the Beirut Port explosion, and supporting efforts to strengthen the protection of free expression and civic space.
During the visit, Agnès Callamard met with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Minister of Justice Adel Nassar, as well as local human rights defenders and survivors and families of victims of human rights violations.
“In just a few years, people in Lebanon have been forced to live through a devastating war with Israel, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history, and a brutal economic collapse. The harms continue, and victims are still waiting for those responsible to be held to account,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.
“Lebanon’s government has a rare and urgent chance to break decisively with years of impunity, mismanagement and abuse – and to put human rights at the centre of its agenda. In my discussions with Lebanese officials, they expressed a willingness to engage on critical human rights issues. Now, the real test lies in turning those words into action. The government must deliver on its promises – by ensuring the Beirut Port explosion investigation can be delivered free from political interference, taking steps towards holding the Israeli authorities accountable for war crimes committed in Lebanon since October 2023, decriminalising defamation and delivering justice for the victims of political killings– including Lokman Slim – and advancing institutional reforms.”
The visit comes at a critical moment, almost exactly one year after the 27 November 2024 ceasefire that was intended to end large-scale hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. Despite that ceasefire, Israel has continued to carry out extensive destruction along Lebanon’s borders, conduct attacks inside Lebanon and refused to withdraw from parts of Lebanese territory, while communities in the south remain displaced, living with insecurity, and no human rights-based reconstruction plans in sight.