1.     Introduction:

The Southern villages in Lebanon have been occupied and its citizens repressed for many years by the Israeli Troops who also detained and tortured thousands villagers either for refusing to be mercenaries for the occupiers or for defending their homeland.

Now that the villages are freed of occupation and the villagers released from detention, development in the southern region is a massive demand. Many conferences have been organized since the withdrawal of Israel from Southern Lebanon in 2000 and it centered around that objective, yet till now no concrete steps were made to achieve it. Economy in south is still under development and people still lack resources and tools to uplift their situation.

The ex-detainees represent the majority of the people residing in the southern region and thus their reintegration in society is an urgent need. But we all know about the severe torture that they were subjected to while in prison and the after effects of such torture on their physical, mental and social state. Consequently we know that their ability to take a role in the life cycle of the community they belong to depends on rehabilitation them.

Khiam Center took the mission and started its activities on 1999 by making field visits to the houses of the ex-detainees in order to investigate their conditions, define their needs and then develop suitable means of intervention.

On the basis of these visits, our center issued the first report about the mental, physical and social conditions of the ex-detainees (taking 18 victim as an illustration) on the occasion of The International Day against Torture, 26^th June 2002.

From another side, Khiam Center has launched the first solidarity campaign, raising awareness of the needs of the ex-detainees, to which many civil organizations responded. The campaign continued asking for the government’s support for this case until the Parliament issued article 364 that secured financial compensations and superannuating for the ex-detainees.

Under the title “Together Against Torture” Khiam center launched a web site, in which publications about the issues of ex-detainees, torture practices and fighting, related activities and occasions were found.

However, our work has been developed and services increased since 1999 till now leading to a remarked change in the situation of this category of people.

2.     The Medical, Mental and Social Program:

Supported mainly by the UNVFVT and the OAK Fund, this program has continued to operate in 2003, providing torture victims from different nationalities with medical, mental and social support.

Through a set of professional team that consists of one psychiatrist, two General Health doctors, three social workers and a secretary, our center assisted 66 new victims in 2003 and continued in assisting 91 victims from the previous year. The ages of the victims ranged between 28 and 74 years, and the symptoms they showed could be categorized as follows:

• Amnesia
• Loss of concentration
• Nervous tension
• Anxiety
• Rheumatism
• Heart problems
• Stomach problems
• Hypertension
• Disc
• Kidneys’ failure
• Loss of appetite

In addition, most of victims showed tendency for loneness and an interest in immigration.

The center’s intervention with these cases distributed on the following sides:

• Providing medical checkups and medicines
• Providing psychological medication and consultation
• Holding open discussions with them
• Organizing a set of social and cultural activities for them and their families.

3.     The House of Lebanese Detainee:

The House of Lebanese Detainee is a new step in our rehabilitation project that was put into action on 28/6/2003, during the International Conference Against Torture. It was opened by the former president of the IRCT, Dr. Maria Piniou-Kalli.

The house is a contrary image of the prison, it affords the ex-detainees with a place in which they can meet around discussions and practice different activities.

In addition to the medical services, the house offers computer, Internet and library services. 

As a house for all the ex-detainees and torture victims, the house is opened seven days a week from 9:00 am till 10:00 pm operated by a number of chosen ex-detainees.

4.     The Training Workshops:

As a part of the rehabilitation operation, the center organized two training workshops in south:

§         “Training on painting on Mirrors and Fabric”, was organized for the female ex-   detainees. The number of beneficiaries of this workshop was 45 women and girls.

§         “Training on the Use of Computer”, was organized for the children of the ex-detainees. 15 children benefited form this training.

5.     Celebrating National and International Occasions:

The Center took part in fighting torture and in the human rights movement as a whole. Thus we have organized the following activities during 2003:

• A celebration on the occasion of the closure of Ansar and Khiam Prisons in UNESCO Palace on 16/5/2003, in which gifts were distributed among 500 of the children of torture victims.
• A solidarity week with the detainees in Israeli prisons.
• The International Conference Against Torture, in which around 100 national and international human rights organizations participated and representatives of the UN High Commissioner of Human Rights, Amnesty International, the IRCT and The European Union attended.
• Solidarity strike on the occasion of the International Day of Human Rights on 10/11/2003.

From another side, the center participated in the following activities:

• The National Campaign against Death Penalty.
• The 59^th session of the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva.
• The Solidarity Campaign with the disappearance, during which we met the president of the Disappearances’ Mothers in Argentina, Mrs. Laura Bonaparte on 9/4/2003.
• The International Conference against the Arbitrary Detention of Political Prisoners in Florence-Italy on September 2003.
• A solidarity strike in front of the United Nations Place in Beirut, condemning the crime against the High Commissioner of Human Rights in Baghdad, Mr. Sergio De Milo on 22/10/03.
• The Regional Strengthening Program 2, Organized by the IRCT in Tripoli-Lebanon on December 2003.

In addition to sending Urgent Appeals in solidarity with the Torture victims around the world and issuing statements and press releases in different events.

6.     Conclusion:

What our center offered so far contributed greatly in improving the conditions of the torture victims in Lebanon. However, a lot of work still has to be done. According to a survey made by the Lebanese Finance Ministry, around 8,000 Lebanese citizens entered Israeli prisons between the years 1978 and 2000 not to mention hundreds of martyrs and disappearances. Assisting this big number of victims demands bigger capabilities and higher budgets. That’s why we always try to seek new resources in order to include in our services as much victims as possible, and we shall continue in the future in our ever attempt to reduce the suffering of our people and give them the support they need to come over their pain and be active members in their society.

March 2004