The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) welcomes the release of human rights defender, Ghassan Abdullah, General Director of the Palestinian Human Rights Organisation (PHRO), from detention in Lebanon. Abdullah was released on 16 May 2018, after a two-day detention. He was not given access to a lawyer during the detention.

On 10 May 2018, the General Directorate of the Lebanese General Security summoned Abdullah to appear on 14 May at 9am for “a security interrogation.” On arrival he was detained and on 15 May 2018 he was transferred to the Military Intelligence for interrogation.

Abdallah is the founder and executive director of PHRO, which was established in 1997 and has a permit to work in Lebanon.  PHRO works to protect the civil and human rights of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, and is a member of both the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) and EuroMed Rights.

While GCHR welcomes the release of Ghassan Abdullah, it calls on authorities in Lebanon to stop targeting him as his arrest and detention are solely related to his human rights activities in defending the rights of the Palestinian people in Lebanon.