The General Amnesty Law was put on the path to approval through serious follow-up by joint committees that held successive sessions to consider a number of relevant proposals. This law aims, in addition to addressing the crisis of prison overcrowding and the difficult humanitarian and legal conditions, to address an equally important file related to young people, specifically from Tripoli, who were sentenced in absentia and fled to Syria, based on false charges that had nothing to do with fighting the army, but rather because they supported the Syrian revolution at the time.
In this context, MP Bilal Al-Hashimi confirms that the clause for those sentenced in absentia was included in the general amnesty law, revealing that the Christian representatives also want this clause, even if their goal is to include those who were accused of dealing with Israel and were forced to leave for it…
If these words mean that the proposal will not meet with opposition from some parties, Al-Hashimi returned in an interview with Akhbar Al-Youm Agency to explain some of the details, pointing out that most of those who fled Lebanon did not fight there, but in Syria, and were dealt with as terrorists, knowing that Hezbollah also fought in Syria and was not dealt with as terrorists, and none of its members were tried.
Stating that the sentences reached life imprisonment and death without any evidence, Al-Hashimi said: These young men were greatly wronged by the military court – which was known for its orientation and affiliation to Hezbollah, Iran and the Assad army – and it issued discretionary rulings, explaining that this matter will be included within the serious discussions of the joint committees.
Al-Hashimi added: It is true that we do not want to speak sectarian, but we want to protect ourselves in the face of the “great rulings” that were issued against our environment. In return, others were acquitted, stressing that the youth were issued these rulings in absentia on charges that they supported the Syrian revolution at that time, which has become the authority today, and therefore their trial must be fair so that they can benefit from a general amnesty, especially since the investigations on which the rulings were based were not fair or objective. Rather, the statements were taken under torture.
In response to a question, Al-Hashimi stressed that the reasons for the general amnesty law are not only overcrowding, money, and delayed trials, but must also include the discretionary behavior that occurred in the military court.
Here, he stressed that the committees began discussing the proposal item by item, and we insist that there be an independent clause in the law that determines the fate of those who fled to Syria or elsewhere.
For his part, Representative Ashraf Rifi confirmed in an interview with “Akhbar Al-Youm” agency that there is a preliminary agreement on the necessity of dealing with the prison issue through a general amnesty or special exceptional measures, pointing out that the joint parliamentary committees hold sessions periodically in order to reach the final version of the general amnesty law.
In this context, Rifi mentioned the unjust rulings issued by the military court, pointing out that serious research is underway to exceptionally reduce the prison year for one time from 9 to 6 months, saying: As for major sentences that reach the death penalty, there is a proposal to convert the death penalty to 25 years in prison, and life imprisonment to 20 years.
In response to a question, Rifi revealed that the discussion is taking place quickly to resolve matters gradually, and it is expected that the joint committees will finish their work within the next few days.
Rifi concluded by stressing that the progress is serious, the details are crystallizing, and the general framework of the law is moving towards exceptional reductions and the treatment of absentee judgments, saying: Legally, the absentee judgment is dropped as soon as the accused appears before the court and is tried again.
He concluded by stressing the importance of addressing the reality of prisons before this bomb explodes in everyone’s face.
