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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Rights association slams army violence |
| 2005-04-28 |
| The Lebanese Association for Human Rights strongly denounced the use of violence by the Lebanese Army against relatives of Lebanese prisoners detained in Syrian jails who were caught in a clash with security forces while staging a peaceful protest Tuesday. The protest outside Parliament, mainly by mothers calling for the release of their children from Syrian prisons, turned violent when one of the demonstrators beat Beirut MP Adnan Araqji's car hood with a flag pole after the vehicle almost knocked into him while trying to enter Parliament through the line of protesters. The Lebanese Army intervened to protect the official with some soldiers beating demonstrators with their rifle butts during ensuing clashes, resulting in the injury of 16 people. In a statement released Wednesday, the association lashed out at the Lebanese authorities conduct regarding the demonstrators, describing the incident as "a dangerous sign of the ongoing use of repressive violence to contain public expressions of their legitimate rights." The association demanded an investigation into the incident and greater efforts to resolve the question of those Lebanese still missing or detained in Syrian jails. |
| Posted by:Fred |