Executive Summary

This quarterly newsletter highlights the Cedar Centre for Legal Studies’ (CCLS) ongoing commitment to defending human rights, promoting justice, and supporting victims of torture and vulnerable groups across Lebanon and beyond.

Between May and August 2025, CCLS advanced its four core projects, Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture, Legal Support and Protection of Vulnerable Groups, Support for Refugees and Irregular Migrants, deportation and enforced disappearance, and addressing the Unlawful Use of Force. Through these programs, survivors received medical care, physiotherapy, psychological support, legal representation, and social reintegration, while refugees, minors, and migrants were protected from deportation, trafficking, and abuse.

During this period, the Centre intervened in urgent case studies, including the torture of minors, the rehabilitation of young Lebanese victims, the case of VTC39, and the long struggle of survivor Moaz Mourab. It also pursued justice for the April boat tragedy (2022) and stood with families of missing migrants through the legal support.

CCLS organized public event in Beirut, marking the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, bringing together lawyers, – Members of Parliament (MPs), NGOs, human rights defenders, survivors, judges, media to demand accountability.

Beyond direct services, CCLS issued several reports and joint statements, shedding light on systemic human rights violations and strengthening advocacy for accountability at both national and international levels. These efforts included calls for justice in torture cases, urgent action on the enforced disappearance of Abdulrahman Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, and stronger protection for freedom of expression and human rights defenders.

Through these initiatives, CCLS reaffirms its role as both a safe space for survivors and a leading advocate for dignity, accountability, and the rule of law.

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