On June 25, 2025, to commemorate the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the Lebanese Center for Human Rights (CLDH) hosted a webinar titled “Breaking the Silence: Torture Against Human Rights Defenders.” This event was part of the Global Week Against Torture, organized by the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT), taking place from June 23 to 27, 2025. The discussion highlighted the role of legal systems and political culture in enabling torture, featured powerful firsthand testimonies from human rights defenders, and explored mechanisms for accountability and prevention.
Wadih Al Asmar, President of the CLDH, opened the session by discussing strategies to combat torture. He emphasized the importance of having human rights activists to denounce all human rights violations and help in establishing new mechanisms as well as coalitions for coordinated action and advocacy, pushing for legal reforms and their enforcement, to ensure all torture criminals are brought to justice.
Following Al Asmar’s remarks, Atty. Hasna Abdel Reda, head of CLDH’s Legal Department, addressed how systemic and cultural factors in Lebanon contribute to the abuse of human rights defenders (HRDs). She pointed out that although the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is included in the preamble of the Lebanese Constitution, there is a severe lack of mechanisms to ensure the protection of these defenders. She also noted that, despite its role in safeguarding these rights, the National Human Rights Commission in Lebanon is currently unable to fulfill its mandate. Atty. Abdel Rida underscored the importance of turning to the UN Special Rapporteur and highlighted the urgent need to activate Lebanon’s Commission for the Prevention of Torture.
Her session was followed by a moving intervention of a human rights defender (Abou Kanaan) and torture survivor, who was supported by CLDH throughout his journey. He shared the challenges and milestones he encountered on his path to becoming an activist, reflecting on how his experience as a torture survivor has profoundly shaped his life and advocacy work.
During his intervention, Khaled Ibrahim, Executive Director of the Gulf Centre for Human Rights, emphasized the critical importance of accountability for the crime of torture. He
detailed strategies to pursue justice, end impunity, and protect human rights defenders, drawing on compelling examples from cases he has encountered throughout his career, stressing the need for cooperation and the development of new strategies to protect human Rights defenders from torture and ill-treatment.
Concluding this impactful event, Fadel Fakih, CLDH’s Executive Director, highlighted the critical role of both national and international cooperation in advancing efforts to prevent torture and ensure accountability. The organization further stressed the necessity of standing firmly against all forms of ill-treatment and encouraged the exploration of innovative strategies to promote a culture of prevention across the region. Emphasis was placed on the importance of reviewing advocacy mechanisms to ensure the effective implementation of laws and uphold the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Ultimately, the webinar served as a powerful reminder of the urgent need to break the silence around torture and work collectively toward a world where such violations are no longer accepted.
About CLDH:
The Lebanese Center for Human Rights (CLDH) is a local non-profit, non-partisan Lebanese human rights organization. It was founded in 2006 in Beirut by the Franco-Lebanese Movement SOLIDA (Support for Lebanese Detained Arbitrarily). CLDH’s complementary components include advocacy, public mobilization, rehabilitation for victims of torture and families of enforced disappearances, the provision of pro-bono legal services for vulnerable groups regardless of nationality or status, and the organization of capacity building activities to key stakeholders in the human rights field.
www.cldh-lebanon.org
