Beirut, December 1, 2022 - On November 21, we sent an email including the statement “Syrian refugees are the responsibility of the UNHCR” Explains the conditions of the Syrian refugees in Lebanon, to each of the UNHCR management team in Lebanon composed of 7 personalities, in addition to the UNHCR regional director for Middle East and North Africa, and the UNHCR Executive Committee and to the UNHCR Inspector General Office in Geneva, as well as a copy to the second email address for the Syrian Hope Forum "Different from the email address it was sent from".
After we sent the email, we got a bounced address that the email could not be delivered to all UNHCR recipients "described above" because a custom email flow rule created by the administrator was blocked. While a copy was delivered to the second email of the SyH-Forum.
We looked at the content of the email, and we deleted the Syrian Hope Forum name and sent it back to the above mentioned recipients. To notes that the email has been delivered, and we have received automatic replies that some of the recipients had prepared; Unlike the first attempt. Which means that the SyH-Forum's name in English is included in UNHCR's email blocking rule.
It is not the first time; many of the SyH-Forum's e-mail addresses, including the participants, were banned, in addition to the email content text being banned more than once; instead of responding.
We at the Syrian Hope Forum, which is a non-profit, non-political, voluntary humanitarian initiative that includes Syrian youth affected by the refugee crisis, express our deep concern about this unjustified intentional act that leads to our marginalization by a global humanitarian organization that is dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees. We also strongly deprecate the obstruction of the delivery of our humanitarian messages, and we refuse to be excluded from expressing our opinions and positions.
We hope that the UNHCR will take the above into consideration in consistent with the values and principles of the UNHCR and international treaties that guarantee freedom of opinion and expression, without racial discrimination, and take the necessary measures.
- The statement is based on documented facts, and cannot be interpreted in any other way.
