CAT/C/61/D/690/2015
United Nations
Convention against Torture
and Other Cruel, Inhuman
or Degrading Treatment
or Punishment
Distr.: General
28 September 2017
Original: English
Committee against Torture
Decision adopted by the Committee under article 22 of the
Convention, concerning communication No. 690/2015*, **
Communication submitted by:
E.A. (represented by counsel)
Alleged victim:
The complainant
State party:
Sweden
Date of complaint:
20 July 2015 (initial submission)
Date of adoption of decision:
11 August 2017
Subject matter:
Non-refoulement; prevention of torture
Substantive issue:
Deportation to Lebanon
Procedural issue:
Lack of substantiation
Articles of the Convention:
3 and 22
Background
1.1
The complainant is E.A., a Lebanese national born in 1992. He sought asylum in
Sweden but his application was rejected and he risks deportation to Lebanon. He claims
that his deportation would put him under the risk of torture or other forms of inhuman or
degrading treatment by Lebanese authorities and would constitute a violation by Sweden of
article 3 of the Convention.
1.2
On 27 July 2015, the Committee, acting through its Rapporteur on new complaints
and interim measures, requested the State party not to deport the complainant while the
complaint was being considered.
The facts as presented by the complainant
2.1
The complainant is a homosexual man born in the southern part of Lebanon who
now lives in Sweden. Since 2013, he has had a Swedish same-sex partner. While his mother
has accepted his sexual orientation, his father, who lives in Israel, does not know about it
and, the complainant claims, would never accept it. The complainant and his mother
decided not to inform his father or other relatives about his sexual orientation. However, a
friend of the complainant saw him with his boyfriend and revealed the information to his
relatives in Lebanon. The Lebanese authorities also know about his sexual orientation. The
complainant’s story has been in the newspapers in Sweden and, although the articles did not
* Adopted by the Committee at its sixty-first session (24 July-11 August 2017).
** The following members of the Committee participated in the examination of the communication:
Essadia Belmir, Alessio Bruni, Felice Gaer, Abdelwahab Hani, Claude Heller Rouassant, Jens
Modvig, Ana Racu, Sébastien Touzé and Kening Zhang.
GE.17-17076(E)