Rights group alleges Lebanon and Cyprus violated refugees’ human rights and EU funds paid for it

Associated Press

BEIRUT (AP) — A global watchdog report says European Union aid sent to Lebanon in an attempt to regulate migration by sea is funding practices that violate human rights. Human Rights Watch released a report Wednesday saying that, as part of a policy to contain migration, authorities in Cyprus have physically pushed Syrian refugees back to Lebanon, and Lebanese security agencies have deported them. Rights groups have frequently criticized the tactics of both Lebanese and Syrian authorities in dealing with would-be migrants and asylum seekers. Officials from the two countries deny violating any laws but say they are overwhelmed by the migration they are facing.