Lesotho

return home, as per their contractual requirements.7

The Ministry of Labour consulted the ILOfacilitated working group on the kafala on draft versions of a revised unified standard contract, and in September, the Minister of Labour passed Ministerial Decision 1/90 adopting a revised unified standard contract for migrant workers. It includes the right to resign without losing immigration status, change employer without the consent of the current employer and be paid at least the national minimum wage with a permissible deduction that covers in-kind contributions by the employer such as food and housing. It also prohibited employers from confiscating a worker ’s passport and identity documents and entitled workers to freedom of movement during daily and weekly rest periods. However, on 14 October, the Shura Council, the country’s top administrative court, suspended the implementation of the decision introducing the new contract, following an appeal made by the Syndicate of the Owners of Recruitment Agencies, on the grounds that the new contract comprised “severe damage” to the agencies’ interests. The Council made no reference to the rights of migrant domestic workers.8

REFUGEES AND ASYLUM-SEEKERS

Lebanon continued to host approximately 1.5 million Syrian refugees, including 879,598 people registered with UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, and, according to the government, around 550,000 who were unregistered, after a 2015 government decision to bar the agency from registering new Syrians arriving.

The organized returns of Syrians to Syria continued until March, without their being given the right to challenge their deportation due to protection concerns. On 14 July, the government adopted another general policy paper that would enable the continuation of its policy to push for the return of refugees to Syria, putting many refugees at risk of refoulement. However, the Ministry of Social Affairs suspended implementation of the plan following the explosion in Beirut.

In November, UNHCR announced that between August and September, nine resettlement countries had prioritized departures from Lebanon once lockdown measures were lifted, accepting 1,027 refugees.

Over 470,000 Palestinian refugees were registered with the UN Relief and Works Agency, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, including 29,000 Palestinian refugees from Syria. The 180,000 of them estimated to be still living in the country remained subject to discriminatory laws, excluding them from owning or inheriting property, accessing public education and health services and from working in at least 36 professions.

DEATH PENALTY

Courts continued to hand down death sentences; no executions were carried out.

1. Lebanon: Only an international investigation can ensure Beirut explosion victims’ rights to truth, justice and remedy (MDE 18/2997/2020)

2. Lebanon: Authorities’ failure to implement anti-torture law is a disgrace (Press release, 25 November)

3. Lebanon protests explained (Press release, 22 September)

4. Lebanon: Government must urgently release more prisoners to prevent spread of COVID-19 (Press release, 21 April)

5. Lebanon: Punishing the October protest movement (MDE 18/2628/2020)

6. Lebanon: Military and security forces attack unarmed protesters following explosion – new testimony (Press release, 11 August) 7. Lebanon: Abandoned migrant domestic workers must be protected (Press release, 3 June)

8. Lebanon: Blow to migrant domestic worker rights (Press release, 30

October)

LESOTHO

Kingdom of Lesotho Head of state: Letsie III Head of government: Moeketsi Majoro (replaced Thomas Motsoahae Thabane in May)

Prime Minister Thomas Thabane faced charges related to his alleged complicity in murder and attempted murder, although no

one had been brought to justice for the crimes by the year’s end and witnesses had received death threats. Thousands faced forced eviction to make way for a dam. The outbreak of COVID-19 in the country put the livelihoods of tens of thousands at risk and led to state of emergency measures, which the authorities used as a pretext to violate the rights to freedom of movement and peaceful assembly. Health care workers went on strike when their demands for PPE were not met.

IMPUNITY

No one was brought to justice for the murder of Prime Minister Thomas Thabane’s estranged wife, Lipolelo Thabane, and the attempted murder of her acquaintance, Thato Sebolla. In February, the police announced that the then Prime Minister, Thomas Thabane, faced charges in connection with the crimes. Lipolelo Thabane was shot dead in 2017 by unknown assailants while driving home on the outskirts of the capital, Maseru, with Thato Sebolla. The authorities failed to provide adequate protection to witnesses in the case. Thato Sebolla and other key witnesses fled the country after they felt unsafe due to lack of witness protection. Three people, also believed to be witnesses in the case, died in mysterious circumstances in Maseru between 2017 and 2020.1

In May, following mounting pressure from various political parties for Thomas Thabane to stand down, he resigned as Prime Minister.2

FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT

On 27 March, the Prime Minister declared a state of emergency which was backdated to 18 March, and which introduced measures to control and prevent the spread of COVID-19 after South Africa recorded its first case on 5 March. Security forces used the measures as a pretext to violate the rights to freedom of movement and peaceful assembly. In April, senior government officials acknowledged that the country’s health care system would be unable to deal adequately with a large-scale COVID-19 outbreak. They had no capacity to test for the virus until midMay, before which samples were sent for testing to South Africa.

Health workers

In April, many health care workers including doctors, nurses and laboratory technicians, went on strike to demand PPE provision and higher wages which they said should reflect the health risks arising from their exposure to COVID-19. They returned to work after their demands were met.

FORCED EVICTIONS

The construction of the Polihali Dam in Mokhotlong district in the early part of the year threatened nearly 8,000 people with forced eviction and the loss of their livelihoods. The affected communities were not engaged in a process of genuine consultation or adequately compensated for losing their homes and some of the displaced were given just over US$1 as compensation for being resettled far from their homes in areas around Mokhotlong. The dam was being constructed to supply water to South Africa as part of the transnational Lesotho Highlands Water Project.

ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS

COVID-19 disrupted the economy, putting the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people at risk. Many businesses were forced to cease operations leaving their workers unemployed. Mining and manufacturing sectors were hardest hit with more than 40,000 workers losing their incomes after being laid off.

In March, the government took measures to address the economic meltdown, including by providing financial relief for the private sector and its employees who had lost their jobs in the mining and textile industries. However, hundreds of thousands of people