“Lebanon Debate”
The case is no longer just a passing complaint in Akkar. Rather, the “Ahmed Haddara gang” has come under the judicial microscope, with accusations against Ahmed Haddara, his brother Muhammad, and others of kidnapping, threats, and armed prosecution. According to the facts contained in the complaint, this is not only about individuals in a personal dispute, but rather about a group whose members are accused of moving in an organized manner and using intimidation and force, in a case that is testing the state’s ability to protect citizens and enforce the rule of law.
The case of the attempted kidnapping in Akkar entered the judicial process, after Khaled Farouk Haddara, through his representative, lawyer Hussein Al-Samad, filed a complaint with the status of a personal prosecution before the Public Prosecution of Appeal in the North, against Ahmed Amer Haddara, Khaled Amer Haddara, and Muhammad Amer Haddara, in addition to everyone who the investigation shows to be an actor, accomplice, or accomplice, for the crimes of threatening to kill, kidnapping, and extortion.
According to the text of the complaint that he reviewed, the plaintiff says that he was recently subjected to an attempt to kidnap an organization that targeted him personally, claiming that the attempt was carried out under the direct direction of Ahmed Haddara, who the complaint indicates is aspiring to run for parliamentary elections.
The complaint states that a group of people went to a café in the Akkar plain in search of the plaintiff, but did not find him. According to his story, the search and persecution operations expanded in the area and its surroundings, which sparked a state of fear and anxiety for him and his family.
In the context of documenting these facts, the plaintiff says that he has video clips documenting part of the prosecution process, which he attached to the complaint on a CD, claiming that they show some of the defendants during the movement. He also claims that the recordings show Muhammad Haddara participating in the movement and brandishing a weapon.
The complaint does not stop at the borders of this incident, as its submitter claims that the incident is not the first of its kind, noting that the names of some of the defendants had previously appeared, according to his claim, in files and reports prepared by the security services related to extracting statements under pressure and coercion.
Accordingly, the plaintiff requested the judiciary to conduct the necessary investigations, prosecute the defendants, arrest them, refer them before the competent judiciary for trial, and impose legal penalties on those found responsible, while taking the necessary measures to protect him and his family.
He also demanded that the defendants be obligated to pay compensation for the failure and damage of not less than 100 thousand US dollars, in addition to all fees and expenses.
According to the documents, a copy of the agency and a CD containing the photographic materials on which the plaintiff bases his allegations were attached to the complaint, while visas and judicial seals also appear on the papers, indicating that the complaint has proceeded before the competent judicial authorities.
However, Ahmed Haddara’s name is not new in the judicial files that he previously followed. In the “Abu Omar” case, information had previously been published about a complaint that was intended to be filed against Haddara for the crime of beating and harming Mustafa Al-Hassyan, against the backdrop of allegations that he was beaten and photographed while giving video confessions. Muhammad Haddara was also subjected to investigation in the same case, according to what he published last January.
The current file acquires an additional dimension with the appearance of the name of Muhammad Amer Haddara, Ahmed Haddara’s brother and one of the defendants in the complaint, as he was elected in June 2025 as President of the Archaeological Municipality of Arqa and President of the Union of Archaeological Municipalities of Arqa, which makes the state’s responsibility in dealing with the file double.
The presence of a mayor among the defendants in a file related to allegations of kidnapping, threats, and blackmail cannot be treated as a marginal issue, nor should the municipal position be turned into a cover that prevents reaching the truth.
In this context, the Municipal Law does not grant the mayor absolute “immunity.” Rather, Article 111 of it requires the governor’s written approval for criminal prosecution when the crime attributed to him is related to his municipal duties, while it is up to the Public Prosecution to determine whether the crime arises from these duties or is external to them.
Accordingly, the Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Ahmed Al-Hajjar, and the Governor of Akkar, Imad Al-Labaki, have a clear responsibility to not allow any political or municipal consideration to constitute a barrier to the investigation. If the Public Prosecution believes that the incidents are related to municipal tasks and require the governor’s approval, then this approval is required to be given without delay. However, if the alleged acts are outside the municipal function, it is not permissible to deal with them as if there were immunity preventing prosecution.
The talk here is not about a passing political or electoral dispute, but rather about allegations of kidnapping, threats, and armed persecution. If these facts are proven, we are faced with dangerous behavior based on intimidation and the imposition of force outside state institutions.
From this standpoint, Ahmed Haddara and his brother Muhammad, along with everyone whose involvement the investigation proves, are called to appear before the judiciary and answer these facts, away from platforms, influence and relationships, as the social, financial or municipal position does not give its owner any right to intimidate people or impose his power over them.
The judiciary has the say today, and the responsibility is on the state to ensure that no name remains above investigation, and no position above the law.
