Protesters blocked roads in Akkar on June 22 after a video of Syrian and Lebanese workers being whipped and violently assaulted by their employee surfaced. (Courtesy of Michel Hallak)
BEIRUT — The lawyer of the workers who were violently beaten while half-dressed on Wednesday by their employer in Qartaba in the Jbeil district, told our Tripoli correspondent that three of the assaulters were arrested.
Here’s what we know:
• Mohamed al-Baarini, the representative of the workers, confirmed that he went along with the workers to the Qartaba faction to give their statements, and they are waiting for the forensic doctor to examine them.
• Baarini indicated that there were five assaulters, three of whom were arrested and are currently being held in the information division, although the main employer is still not found.
• The workers stated that the employer has been avoiding paying them their wages for working as cherry pickers in the employer’s fields.
• The pictures and videos of the beatings sparked anger around the country and particularly in the Akkar governorate, where the two Lebanese workers are from, which led to protests on Wednesday.
• According to the protesters in Akkar, the employer was summoned Wednesday and later released, prompting them to take to the streets and “demand that he is arrested again and punished for beating the workers.”