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The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN) call on the Lebanese authorities to end its harassment campaign against members of the Lebanese Centre for Human Rights (CLDH) as the organisation is to undergo a second hearing today.

Tuesday, October 11 - The EMHRN expresses deep concern in relation to the freedom of action of human rights organisations in Lebanon as its member organisation, the Lebanese Centre for Human Rights (CLDH), is bracing to go through a second hearing for documenting arbitrary detention and torture in Lebanon.

“What upsets me most in this kind of procedure is the time wasted on it when we should really invest it tending to our human rights defending duties,” declared CLDH President Marie Daunay.

The EMHRN reiterates its full support with members of CLDH and urge the Lebanese authorities to:

-  Put an end to all forms of harassment and intimidation against members of CLDH and, more generally, against human rights defenders in Lebanon so they can conduct their activities freely;

- Fulfil their obligation to protect human rights defenders against any pressure aiming at preventing them from carrying out their activities;

- Comply with the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 9, 1998;

-  Comply with the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ratified by Lebanon on March 23, 1976. In particular; Article 19 on freedom of expression, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other regional and international human rights instruments ratified by Lebanon.

The Amal Movement, a political and para-military organisation representing Shiite interests in Lebanon, had filed a lawsuit against the CLDH following its publication in February 2011 titled “Arbitrary Detention and Torture: the bitter reality of Lebanon”. The first hearing took place on July 6, 2011.

The Lebanese Center for Human Rights (CLDH) is a Lebanese non-political, nonprofit and independent Human Rights organisation, based in Beirut.

The CLDH was created in 2006 by the French Lebanese Movement SOLIDA (Support for Lebanese Detained Arbitrarily), active since 1996 in the fight against arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance and impunity of the perpetrators of gross human rights violations.

CLDH monitors the human rights situation in Lebanon, fights against enforced disappearance, impunity, arbitrary detention, and racism and provides rehabilitation to the victims of torture.

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For more information on the CLDH, visit the website www.cldh-lebanon.org