Mohammad Sablouh
Mohammad Sablouh is a Lebanese lawyer and human rights defender. He is the Head of the Legal Support Program at Cedar Centre for Legal Studies, a non-profit organization dedicated to spreading the culture of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law in Lebanon. Mohammad Sablouh assists victims of torture and arbitrary detention at both the domestic and international levels. He has also actively provided legal support and documenting testimonies and information regarding violations committed against Syrians refugees in Lebanon. Since 2021, as a consequence of his activities and his direct work countering human rights violations, Mohammad Sablouh has been facing a growing number of instances of harassment, threats, and intimidation.
While Lebanon is one of the few countries in the Middle East and North Africa region where human rights defenders (HRDs) and international human rights NGOs have been able to operate, challenges persists in relation to freedom of association, assembly and expression. Moreover, the continuing civil conflict in Syria has fuelled sectarian polarisation in Lebanon and furthered the armed activities of Shi'i and Sunni militias. This situation has resulted in increasing security threats to HRDs, particularly those who document human rights abuses committed by non-state actors or the warring parties in Syria.
