Netizens to stop Deportation of Syrian Dissident

Social Media News No. 6, July 21, 2010

A new Facebook group has been set up to urge the Lebanese authorities not to deport an exiled Syrian dissident living in Beirut.

The group, called “Stop the extradition of Maamoun Al-Homsi to Syria”, attracted 160 supporters overnight.“

Because Beirut is the capital of freedoms and creativity in the East, and because we are loyal to the blood that was spilled for the sake of freedom, we oppose the extradition of Homsi to the Baath regime in Damascus,” the group wrote.

Homsi said that the Lebanese authorities refused to renew his residency in Lebanon and asked him to leave the country before August 20. Homsi, who has applied in Beirut for asylum at the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, is certain to face jail if he were to be sent back to Syria, rights groups say.

Homsi is a former Syrian deputy who was imprisoned in 2001 for taking part in the “Damascus Spring” movement which called back then for democratic reforms. Homsi spent five years in jail then. After his release, he spent time in   several Arab countries before settling in Lebanon.

Homsi’s  predicament has sparked fears that the warming of relations between Lebanon and Syria will impinge on Syrian dissidents residing in Lebanon.

Many Syrian activists seek refuge in Lebanon to escape repression in their country. Most apply for asylum in a third country.

One member of the Facebook group urged the Lebanese to defend freedom of expression. Another said that Beirut must have received orders from the Syrians.

A third member lamented the state of freedoms in Lebanon, accusing Lebanese pro-democracy groups of silence with respect to Homsi’s case.

A prominent Lebanese journalist also commented, saying that the Lebanese media was pressured not to defend Homsi.