...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...aboard boats earlier this month, ignoring their claims for asylum while in some instances using violence and coercive tactics, a human rights
...which are usually open to widely divergent definitions...
watchdog said on Tuesday.
Human Rights Watch accused Cypriot marine coppers of beating some
The watchdog said the accusations come from interviews with 15 Lebanese and Syrian nationals who tried to reach European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
member Cyprus after setting sail from Tripoli
...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn...
, Lebanon, aboard seven boats between Aug. 29 and Sept. 7.
According to Human Rights Watch, witnesses and victims on two boats returned to Lebanon said that Cyprus marine police handcuffed and beat individuals who resisted being returned.
The watchdog quoted one Lebanese national identified only by his first name who accused Cypriot police of using a cattle prod on him aboard a boat on Sept. 6 after he shouted at them to rescue a couple who jumped overboard.
The watchdog urged Cypriot judicial authorities to carry out an investigation into the allegations and prosecute anyone found to have committed any wrongdoing.
It said the European Commission should get Cyprus to respect the right of
"People who risk their lives and their children's lives by fleeing Lebanon by boat do so when they are truly desperate," Human Right Watch official Bill Frelick said. "They have a right to have their claims for international protection considered."
Cypriot officials did not immediately return calls for comment on the report.
The Cypriot government has said the ethnically split island nation is willing to offer safe haven to refugees, but has reached its limits in accepting "economic