Forces of Change MPs, Sept. 3, 2022. (Ibrahim Mneimneh/Twitter)
BEIRUT — Three Forces of Change MPs sent an open letter to the caretaker cabinet's head Najib Mikati and Defense Minister Maurice Slim on Thursday to inquire about an incident in which Lebanese Army soldiers allegedly beat protesters in their custody.
The incident took place Monday evening after the Lebanese Army reportedly arrested protesters outside the Justice Palace and beat them before releasing them in downtown Beirut, Mneimneh said in a tweet.
The protesters were participating in a demonstration to demand the release of Abdel Rahman Zakaria and Mohammad Rustom, two activists who aided depositor Sali Hafez when she held up a Blom Bank branch in Sodeco, Beirut, last week to recover her own blocked funds.
According to Daleel Thawra and Thawra Map, 18 protesters were arrested, four of whom were later spotted in Martyrs' Square with injuries.
According to the witness contacted by L’Orient-Le Jour, at least two protesters were transferred to a hospital. In videos posted on social networks, rescue workers with the Lebanese Red Cross could be seen helping the injured in Martyrs' Square.
Forces of Change MPs Ibrahim Mneimneh (Beirut II), Halimé El Kaakour (Mount Lebanon IV, Chouf) and Cynthia Zarazir (Beirut I) addressed their letter to caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, the caretake cabinet and Defense Minister Maurice Slim.
"What has been done by the military institution is outside any lawful, judiciary or human measures," Mneimneh said in his tweet.
"Is [the government] trying to implement a security police regime?" Mneimneh continued. "What is the government's stance regarding these militant acts and what are the lawful measures that will be taken to reveal who committed these acts and punish them?"