The National Human Rights Commission, including the Committee for the Prevention of Torture, announced that it has addressed an official letter to the Prime Minister, in light of the outcomes of the Cabinet session held on 23 April 2026, particularly the statement by Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Tarek Mitri regarding the preparation of a detailed report documenting war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Lebanon. The report is intended to be submitted to international bodies, alongside a request to convene a special session of the Human Rights Council, as well as the proposal to consider accepting the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.<\/p>\n
In its letter, the Commission affirmed that the preparation of a detailed report supported by evidence and testimonies constitutes a fundamental step in documenting grave violations. However, its legal effectiveness remains contingent upon strict adherence to international standards in the collection and analysis of evidence, ensuring that the documentation forms a comprehensive legal file admissible before national and international investigative and judicial bodies, rather than merely a descriptive account of events.<\/p>\n
The Commission also called for the need to respect Cabinet Decision No. 4-3 of 2026, particularly with regard to full coordination and cooperation between the National Committee for International Humanitarian Law and the National Human Rights Commission. It noted that such cooperation has not yet materialized in practice, despite repeated requests by the Commission, thereby requiring direct intervention to activate this process.<\/p>\n
The Commission stressed the necessity of adopting precise criminal documentation methodologies, foremost among them the conduct of forensic medical examinations, ensuring the integrity of the chain of custody of evidence, and linking facts to individual responsibility. In this context, it revealed that, despite the large number of victims since the beginning of the aggression, forensic doctors have not been requested to examine bodies to determine the nature of injuries or the types of weapons used. Victims are being buried and their deaths declared without forensic documentation, except in limited cases involving foreign nationals. The Commission considered this shortcoming a serious flaw in the criminal justice system and a violation of the State\u2019s obligation to conduct effective investigations into cases of killing. It undermines the ability to collect and preserve criminal evidence, weakens the documentation of crimes that may amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity, and limits the capacity of national authorities to prosecute those responsible or to support international judicial processes.<\/p>\n
In this regard, the Commission emphasized the need to refer a copy of the forthcoming report to it for technical and legal review, based on its mandate under Law No. 62\/2016, in order to ensure complementarity between relevant national institutions and enhance the legal value of the report.<\/p>\n
At the international level, the Commission considered that presenting the report before the Human Rights Council constitutes an important entry point for internationalizing the issue. However, it stressed that this step should not remain within a political framework, but must be followed by practical measures leading to independent investigations and effective accountability.<\/p>\n
The Commission also expressed reservations about relying solely on the dispatch of a mission from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, considering that, while important, such a measure does not meet the requirements for investigating serious international crimes and may constitute an insufficient alternative to establishing an independent international mechanism, thereby risking weakening prospects for genuine accountability. It stressed that any technical mission cannot substitute for an independent and impartial international fact-finding mechanism established by a Human Rights Council resolution, with a clear mandate, real independence, and powers enabling it to conduct comprehensive investigations in accordance with the highest international standards.<\/p>\n
Regarding the acceptance of the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, the Commission stressed that continuing to raise this option without taking a clear decision risks diluting it, despite being one of the most important available legal avenues for accountability. It called on the Lebanese government to promptly accept the Court\u2019s jurisdiction pursuant to Article 12(3) of the Rome Statute, by submitting a formal declaration accepting its jurisdiction over the investigation and prosecution of all crimes committed on Lebanese territory since 7 October 2023, and to fully cooperate with the Court in accordance with the Statute.<\/p>\n
The Commission concluded by emphasizing that achieving justice and redress for victims requires an integrated national approach based on institutional coordination, enhanced transparency, and the involvement of independent bodies, ensuring that the forthcoming report evolves from a descriptive document into an effective legal tool in the path toward accountability and the rule of law.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The National Human Rights Commission, including the Committee for the Prevention of Torture, announced that it has addressed an official letter to the Prime Minister, in light of the outcomes of the Cabinet session held on 23 April 2026, particularly the statement by Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Tarek Mitri regarding the preparation of a detailed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6783,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[157],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-6786","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-statements-and-speeches-en"},"yoast_head":"\n