Amnesty International calls for investigation into killing of Lebanese protestor

Amnesty International has commented on the military court’s decision to release a suspect accused of killing a protestor in Beirut several months ago, however, there has been no comment yet from the Lebanese authorities.

On Wednesday, Amnesty International called on the Lebanese authorities to “immediately” refer to the investigation into the killing of the protestor, from the military to the civilian judiciary.

This came in a tweet commenting on the decision of the Military Court in Lebanon to release a suspect accused of killing the protestor, Alaa Abou Fakhr, on 12 November 2019 in the capital of Beirut.

“In case the news about the military court’s decision to release one of the persons accused of the murder of Abou Fakhr are correct, we call on the authorities to refer the investigation to the civil court immediately,” stated Amnesty International.

The organisation affirmed that: “Killing a peaceful protestor constitutes a violation of human rights, which should be examined by a civil court that respects the right to a fair trial.”

Lebanon: Inadequate government response to COVID-19 creates hunger risks, says HRW 

Last Monday, the first acting military investigative judge, Fadi Sawan, issued a decision to release an army colonel accused of intentional homicide.

On 21 November, 2019, a military prosecutor charged a soldier of murder, who shot a protestor in Beirut.

Abou Fakhr was killed by a soldier who was trying to open a road blocked by demonstrators in the Khalde area, southwest of Beirut, and was the first death case since the protests began in the country last October.

Lebanon has been witnessing escalating popular movements since 17 October, which raise political and economic demands. Participants have occasionally blocked major roads and government institutions.