1. 09 December 2025

From 24 November to 3 December 2025, a delegation from the Cedar Centre for Legal Studies (CCLS) composed of Executive Director Saadeddine Shatila and head of Legal Support Program at CCLS Lawyer Mohamad Sablouh—carried out an intensive series of meetings in Geneva with UN Special Procedures and international NGOs, alongside participation in UPR advocacy for Lebanon.
The mission aimed to advance protection for victims of torture, migrants and refugees, children detained in Syrian camps, and individuals facing abuses within Lebanon’s security and judicial systems.

Meetings with UN Mechanisms and Experts:

1. UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture

CCLS met with the Fund’s secretariat to discuss the ongoing project implemented in Lebanon and funded by the Fund. The conversation covered the Centre’s legal and rehabilitation work, challenges faced by torture survivors, and continuity of services in light of global funding reductions.

The United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture is a unique UN operation that gives direct help to victims of torture and their families. It was established in 1981 by the General Assembly (resolution 36/151) to focus global attention on the needs of torture victims. The Fund’s aim is to help victims and their families to rebuild their lives and to seek redress for the human rights violations they have suffered.

2. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders

The delegation met with the mandate to express appreciation for its continuous support to the human rights community in Lebanon, and in particular for monitoring reprisals against lawyer Mohamad Sablouh due to his work on torture and arbitrary detention.

Human rights defenders are individuals or groups who peacefully promote and protect human rights. Their mandate is to implement the UN Declaration, monitor challenges, recommend protection strategies, and emphasize gender equality, especially for women defenders.

3. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic (COI)

CCLS discussed the situation of Syrian refugees and migrants, with a focus on Lebanese and Syrian children detained in Al-Hol and Roj camps.

The COI shared key documents, including:

• The August 2024 report (A/HRC/57/86) recommending repatriation of foreign nationals detained in Northeast Syria (NES), including children.
• The position paper “Punishing the Innocent” on children detained in north-east Syria.

4. Special Rapporteur on Counter-Terrorism

CCLS raised to the mandate the urgent need to repatriate Lebanese children detained in Al-Hol camp and ensure their rehabilitation in Lebanon. The discussion also covered Lebanon’s counter-terrorism law, the role of the Military Court, and the human rights violations detainees face under counter-terrorism procedures.

In April 2005, the Commission on Human Rights, in resolution 2005/80, created a mandate of a Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism. Subsequently, the mandate was extended by the Human Rights Council multiple times, most recently on 3 April 2025, for a further period of three years through resolution 58/14.

5. Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID)

The team presented updates on several cases submitted by CCLS to the Working Group over the past two years, including the cases of M.A. and AbdulRahman Al Qaradawi, and discussed follow-up procedures and next steps.

One of the Working Group’s primary tasks is to assist families in determining the fate or whereabouts of their family members who are reportedly disappeared. In that humanitarian capacity, the Working Group serves as a channel of communication between family members of victims of enforced disappearance and other sources reporting cases of disappearances, and the Governments concerned.

6. Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers

The meeting addressed the stalled draft law on the independence of the judiciary in Lebanon, recently returned from Parliament to the Presidency. CCLS also highlighted to the mandate concerns regarding the appointment of judges and bar association leadership positions based on sectarian affiliation, undermining judicial independence.

The Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers was first established in 1994 to address growing attacks on judicial independence and human rights violations.
Since then, the Human Rights Council has repeatedly reviewed and extended the mandate, most recently through resolution 53/12.

Engagement with Geneva-Based NGOs:

During the mission, CCLS also met with several Geneva-based international NGOs to exchange updates on human rights developments in Lebanon and Syria. Discussions focused on strengthening collaboration in areas central to CCLS’s work, including torture prevention, legal assistance, refugee and migrant protection, and the rehabilitation of survivors of torture and ill-treatment.

One of these meeting was with Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT) to discuss the status of the OPCAT implementation in Lebanon, the challenges facing the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM), and the deteriorating situation in detention facilities and prisons across the country.

The APT works for societies without torture. Every day. Across the world.
They establish a global system to prevent torture. Backed by independent evidence, they use their expertise to reduce the risks of torture, with a focus on all places where people are deprived of liberty. It takes many people, working together, to bring about change. That’s why partnerships and collaboration are at the heart of everything we do.

These meetings helped reinforce partnerships aimed at expanding support services, improving monitoring of violations, and ensuring sustained international engagement in Lebanon’s human rights landscape.