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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Leb ISF arrest activists in one day sweep |
| 2020-02-01 |
| [EN.ANNAHAR] Ever since a wave of anti-government protests gripped the country, Lebanese security forces have been arresting a number of Lebanese activists on a daily basis. Whether for helping other protesters during festivities or distributing sandwiches in the course of the uprising, a number of demonstrators have been detained or called in for questioning. Ahmad Chehade, 19 years old, was attempting to assist one of the injured protesters during intense festivities when he got detained. "I got stuck due to the tear gas and I couldn’t see clearly, and that’s when they took me into custody and kept hitting me until they broke my jaw," he told Annahar. Another protester Lina Boulos Makari, was questioned in 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... for handing out meals and providing transportation services. Additionally, several members of Sabaa, a Lebanese political party, were arrested and had their phones confiscated. In light of all these arrests, Media for Freedom, a platform for journalists, issued a statement explaining that most arrests violate the constitution as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. "Repressing protesters affects the principle of freedom of expression. We consider that the role of the Bar Association and President Melhem Khalaf is pivotal in these times," it stated. In order to spread awareness, Hiba Farhat, lawyer, shared with Annahar a number of legal measures that one can take if they got arrested. "Once someone is called in for questioning, he/she has the right to hire a lawyer, ask for more information on the reasons behind the arrest, and request the presence of a lawyer during questioning," she said. A Twitter hashtag was also launched to support arrested Lebanese activists #اوقفوا _اعتقال_الناشطين, which translates to "stop the arrest of activists" in English. |
| Posted by:Fred |