S.O.L.I.D.E.

Support of Lebanese in Detention an Exile

Established in 1990, SOLIDE - Support of Lebanese in Detention and Exile - is a Lebanese organization that works with Lebanese communities in Lebanon and around the world on the cases of Lebanese victims of enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention and exile. Our focus on such cases is a part of a wider human rights advocacy policy. We work in a holistic integrated way, involving a wide range of individuals and organizations within the community to build a shared approach to achieving our vision, mission and our aims.

History

December 29, 1989, Support of Lebanese in Detention and Exile, a small group of volunteers known as SOLIDE launched a campaign by television and radio calling on the people to come forward and report the missing of their loved ones. On the same day the group distributed a manual describing human rights violation at the hands of the Syrian security forces in addition to the torture methods in Syrian prisons. The major activity of the day was a large 'human chain' that spread from Beirut to the Pontifical embassy in Harisa – Jounieh (17 kilometers to the north of Beirut). In a period of 2 months, hundreds of cases were reported to the group. 

Since the beginning of 1990 SOLIDE has been active in its campaign against the crimes of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance at the hands of the Syrian army and intelligence apparatus in Lebanon.

Vision

Arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance and torture are crimes against humanity and the situation in Lebanon from 1975 until 2005 allowed for these violations to happen on a large, continuous and systematic manner and the result was 17000 victims of enforced disappearance. The perpetrators were the local Lebanese militias and the 3 regional powers namely the PLO, Syria and Israel.

SOLIDE's work is to highlight these violations in general and the Syrian army's violations in particular and to set in motion a campaign for the establishment of an international commission of investigation.

SOLIDE is pushing forward for a campaign to exhume all the mass graves in Lebanon. It also calls for the establishment of a DNA database for all the families of the disappeared.

Our final objective is to see an end to the problem of the Lebanese victims of enforced disappearance, and to make sure that no human rights violations in Lebanon would happen with impunity through a serious and major reform in the Lebanese penal law.

Modus Operandi

• Maintain a close working relationship with the UN Human Rights Commission and the Working Groups on Arbitrary Detention and Enforced Disappearance and both locally and internationally recognized organizations.

• Follow up communiqués on any developments.

• Lectures, conferences and seminars.

• Civil sit-ins, manifestations and demonstrations.

• Reports.

• Provide legal assistance to the victims and their families to press charges against the perpetrators of these violations.

• Provide psycho-social assistance to the victims of these violations.

Achievements

The main achievement was the ability of SOLIDE to keep the problem of the Lebanese victims of enforced disappearance at the hands of the Syrian forces in the limelight in spite of the harassment of the consecutive Lebanese governments from 1990-2005 and in spite of the Syrian control of Lebanon.

The achievements of SOLIDE's campaign include:

-         Local and international recognition of the problem.

-         The release of 121 detainees from Syrian prisons on 5 March 1998.

-         The European Parliament resolution dated 12 March 1998.

-         The establishment of the 1^st national commission of inquiry on 21 January 2000.

-         The Maronite Bishops communiqué of 20 September 2000 asking for the release of Lebanese detainees in Syria.

-         The release of 54 detainees from Syrian prisons on 12 December 2000.

-         The establishment of the 2^nd national commission of inquiry on 26 January 2001.

-         The establishment of a joint Lebanese – Syrian commission of inquiry in June 2005 after talks with Mr. Najib Miqati, the Lebanese Prime Minister who visited Syria on 5 May for the purpose.

-         The Lebanese government unprecedented acknowledgement of the problem of July 2005 after 15 years of persistent denial.

-         19 October 2006, Mr. Terje Rod-Larsen added the problem of the Lebanese detainees in Syria to his report on the implementation of UNSCR 1559 that was presented to the UN Security Council.

-         27 March 2007, the general assembly of the Italian Senate approved decree law 31 January 2007 – N4 – Article 1 – G12 that deals with the cases of disappearances in Lebanon.