By Nohad Topalian | 2024-11-14

BEIRUT — Hizbullah is not the "resistance group" it claims to be, but a transnational criminal organization that exploits religious interpretations to justify human trafficking and murder, human rights activists say.

They allege that thousands of Syrian and Lebanese women have been ensnared in prostitution and sexual slavery networks operated by Hizbullah to generate funding.

A 20-year-old Syrian named "Alia" recently testified about her ordeal in the series "Hezbollah's Hostages," produced by the Center for Peace Communications, describing her experience of sexual slavery.

The young woman, who hails from al-Raqa, is the first victim to come forward about Hizbullah's alleged massive human trafficking operation.

Alia said she asked a Hizbullah element named Youssef for help finding her missing husband, despite her reservations.

She said Youssef took her to a farm, where she was kidnapped and forced into sexual slavery, along with other women, for six months. She said she escaped after being taken to a hospital, where her brother paid $10,000 for her release.

'A transnational criminal gang'

Iran-backed Iraqi militias and Hizbullah have been sexually enslaving Syrian women for years, Syrian Network for Human Rights head Fadel Abdul Ghani told Al-Fassel.

The primary method involves fraudulent marriages in militia-controlled territories, he said, with the women then transported to Iraq or Lebanon for sexual exploitation and prostitution.

Hizbullah has "transformed from a resistance party into a transnational criminal gang that engages in acts of violence, illegal trade and the sexual exploitation and enslavement of women," said Syrian opposition researcher Turki Mustafa.

The party uses Shia temporary marriage practices – sometimes called "halal prostitution" by critics – to mask the sex trafficking rings and finance its operations, he told Al-Fassel.

He said the party preys on vulnerable women and girls displaced by war and struggling with poverty, exploiting weak governance and the dire economic conditions to operate with impunity.

"Security forces have conducted raids uncovering Hizbullah members and networks operating under the group's protection," which has hindered legal efforts to shut down the operations, he said.

The party's actions violate international law and contradict its stated moral and religious principles, he added, accusing Hizbullah of using religious edicts to justify the alleged sex trafficking.

"Hizbullah manipulates religion to justify fatwas that allow the violation of taboos and people's honor," Mustafa said.