Supporters of radical cleric Ahmad al-Assir rally in Saida. (Courtesy of: Muntasser Abdallah/file photo)
BEIRUT — Supporters of radical Salafi cleric Ahmad al-Assir, who is currently serving a de facto life sentence for his role in the deadly 2013 clashes in Saida’s Abra area, protested Friday in front of the Justice Palace in Beirut to demand his release, L’Orient Today’s correspondent reported.
Assir was sentenced to death in September 2017 for his role in armed clashes in the Abra suburb of Saida, which pitted his supporters against Lebanese army troops. His supporters killed 18 soldiers in the June 2013 fight. Lebanon has not carried out any executions since 2004.
The cleric was arrested on Aug. 15, 2015 at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport while he was trying to flee the country in disguise.
Assir's supporters regularly protest in Saida to demand his release.
Reporting contributed by Muntasser Abdallah