The killing of citizen Muhammad Hamza, after his car was thrown by a large rock from the pedestrian bridge near the Sports City in Beirut, sparked widespread reactions. In this context, MP Jamil Al-Sayyid raised the controversy over severe penalties in Lebanon, strongly criticizing the decision to abolish the death penalty.
In his post on the “X” platform, Al-Sayed explained that the victim, a “son, husband, and father,” spent the evening while passing his car in the capital when unknown persons targeted him with a rock thrown from the top of the bridge. He pointed out that this incident is the fourth of its kind in the region, criticizing the lack of arrests of suspects so far.
The Lebanese MP linked the incident to the issue of sanctions, noting that he did not vote in favor of the law to abolish the death penalty, wondering whether similar serious crimes require maintaining it, and demanding that the maximum penalties be imposed on the perpetrators.
It is noteworthy that the Lebanese Parliament had approved the law abolishing the death penalty in its session held on August 12, 2026, after completing its legislative stages in the parliamentary committees, and it was later issued No. 68 to stipulate the abolition of the penalty from all Lebanese laws.
These positions coincide with escalating concerns about road security in the capital, against the backdrop of repeated incidents of throwing stones at cars in the Sports City, Cola, and Salim Salam areas, amid serious popular and official demands to uncover the circumstances of the crime and arrest the perpetrators to prevent its recurrence, at a time when the motives behind the incident have not yet been officially resolved.
