On excessive use of force in Lebanon
21 January 2020
- We are concerned by the increasing number of violent clashes between protesters and security forces in Lebanon in recent days.
- Some demonstrators have resorted to using violence to express their grievances, and security forces have responded, at times, with unnecessary or disproportionate use of force.
Over the weekend, protesters in Beirut tried to invade the Parliament building; and threw rocks, traffic signs, firecrackers, and other debris at Internal Security Forces (ISF). Several ATMs, bank offices and shops were vandalised and public property destroyed.
Officers from the ISF responded with tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets. Several reports of use of force violations were received. According to reliable sources, at least four young men were shot at close range with rubber bullets leading to severe and irreversible damage to their eyes.
According to combined data of the Lebanese Red Cross and Civil Defence, at least 377 people - 142 of whom were law enforcement officers - were injured on Saturday, 18 January. A further 90 people were injured the following day.
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