The anti-Hezbollah Saydet el-Jabal Gathering and the “National Council for Confronting Iranian Occupation” lambasted the Lebanese government for abstaining from voting on a UN resolution to establish an independent body focused on probing the fate of around 130,000 missing or forcibly disappeared persons during the civil war in Syria.
In a press conference on Monday, member of the Gathering journalist Elie al-Hajj deplored Lebanon’s position, “despite suffering from decades of Syrian occupation and having documented cases of detainees in Syrian prisons and detention centers, as well as Lebanese nationals missing in these prisons.”
He pointed out that the families of missing Lebanese “have been advocating for years to reveal the fate of their loved ones without any response from the Lebanese government.”
Hajj said that the Lebanese were not surprised by the position of the “one-colored government” which is “not expected to take any sovereign steps.”
He called on MPs to question the government on the fate of the forcefully disappeared and detained Lebanese in Syria and asked the Lebanese government to apologize to the Lebanese people, and the families of the missing in Syria in particular, “as it can no longer retract its humiliating vote at the United Nations.”
Ali Abu Dehen from the “Association of Lebanese Political Prisoners in Syrian Prisons” addressed the conference, saying: “It is a shame that Lebanon did not vote. The important thing is that the decision was adopted, and Lebanon’s disgraceful vote towards its own people has gone in vain, while 83 grateful countries voted in favor.”
“We request the UN to oversee the implementation of this important decision and expand the (investigation) committee’s tasks to include the detained Lebanese in Syrian prisons,” he said, adding that “Lebanon was under Syrian occupation from 1976 until late April 2005.”
As for Tripoli MP Ashraf Rifi, who participated in the conference, he revealed the existence of Iranian prisons in Beirut’s southern suburb, a Hezbollah stronghold.
“I have previously confirmed before Parliament, when I held security responsibilities, that there are Iranian prisons in Lebanon where innocent Lebanese are incarcerated because they opposed Hezbollah,” said Rifi, a former head of the Internal Security Forces.
“Yes, the Syrian-Iranian axis violated our freedom and dignity, and as a citizen, a former security expert, and an MP, I will stand by your side because your cause is a national one. A nation that does not demand the release of its detained nationals does not deserve to live,” he added.
