Lebanon: Update to LBN25852.E of 17 January 1997 on whether members of the Lebanese Communist Party (LCP) are targeted by Hezbollah or any other group, and whether they would have protection from the Lebanese state
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 24 July 2001 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | LBN37405.E |
| Reference | 4 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Lebanon: Update to LBN25852.E of 17 January 1997 on whether members of the Lebanese Communist Party (LCP) are targeted by Hezbollah or any other group, and whether they would have protection from the Lebanese state, 24 July 2001, LBN37405.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3df4be5b14.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
No report of members of the Lebanese Communist Party (LCP) being targeted by Hezbollah for the period 1997-2001 could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
A 22 August 1998 report in the Beirut newspaper Al-Nahar states that during a Syrian sponsored meeting held in August 1998 in the city of al-Biqa, Lebanon, representatives of the Hezbollah, the Lebanese Communist Party (LCP), the Amal Movement and the Syrian Social National Party (SSNP) had come to the understanding that fighters of each party would operate in resistance to Israel from a specific area [of Souther Lebanon] while the Hezbollah would be operating in all areas.
A 19 February 2000 report in the Beirut Daily Star states that members of the LCP along with the Hezbollah, the Amal Movement, the General Labor Confederation, the Syrian Social Nationalist Party, joined students of several universities in a march to the US Embassy in Beirut to protest the perceived United States bias toward Israel.
A 24 May 2000 UPI report states that upon the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Southern Lebanon in May 2000, Hezbollah, Amal and LCP workers entered Christian villages along the Lebanese border with Israel and that officials from these organizations were sent in those villages to confirm that there had been no retaliation measures taken against the local population.
A November 2000 report in Middle East Intelligence Bulletin states that Lebanese Communists led by Elias Atallah, one of the PLC leaders, had been fighting Israel in South Lebanon alongside the Hezbollah for 18 years. However, the author of a 28 February 2001Paper on Lebanon entitled Aspects of Shi'i Thought from the South of Lebanon states that a wave of assassinations of Communists had taken place in 1984-85 as the Hezbollah tried to monopolize resistance against Israel in Southern Lebanon.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Al Nahar [Beirut, in Arabic]. 22 August 1998. "Lebanon: Hizballah Opposes Idea of Higher Resistance Council." (FBIS/NES-98-239 28 Aug. 1998/WNC)
Daily Star [Beirut]. 19 February 2001. Munira Khayyat. 'Lebanese Students Turn Their Rage on 'Biaised' CNN." (Common Dreams News Center)
Mallat, Chibli. 28 Feb. 2001. Aspects of Shi'i Thought From the South of Lebanon. The Centre for Lebanese Studies, Oxford.
Middle East Intelligence Bulletin [Washington, DC]. November 2000. Vol. 2, No. 10. Daniel Nassif. "Dissidents in Communist Party Revolt Against Damascus."
United Press International (UPI). 24 May 2000. Abdel Mawla Khaled and Mohammed Darweesh. "Lebanese Celebrate Long-awaited Return to Homes." (NEXIS)
Additional Sources Consulted
IRB databases
Internet Sources, including:
Amnesty International
Cedarland – The Factions
Country Reports 2000
Fédération Internationale des ligues des droits de l'homme (FIDH)
Hezbollah
Human Rights Watch (HRW)
Lebanese Communist Party (LCP)
Search Engines, including:
Medea