People gather at the site of a suicide bombing in Hangu, Pakistan, Friday, Feb 1, 2013. A suicide bomber detonated his explosives outside a Shiite mosque in northwestern Pakistan as worshippers were leaving Friday prayers, killing several people and wounding many in the latest apparent sectarian attack in the country, police said. (AP Photo/Abdul Basit)
Group urges Lebanon to protect Syrian refugees
Published: 12:51:06 PM, Thu 07 February 2013 UTC
BEIRUT (AP) — An international rights group says Lebanon has failed to enact political reforms to curb human rights abuses, promote women's rights, and protect migrants and refuges as the country grapples with spillover effects from neighboring Syria's civil war.
Human Rights Watch hailed the Lebanese government for keeping its borders open for tens of thousands of Syrians who fled their homes because of fighting between rebels and government troops. However, the U.S.-based watchdog called on authorities to do more to protect refugees from being detained by security services or deported despite a risk of persecution by the Syrian regime.
In comments released Thursday in the Lebanon section of its annual report, HRW also urged lawmakers to amend laws that discriminate against women, including those that govern access to divorce and child custody.
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