An inundated street in Lebanon. (Credit: João Sousa/L'Orient Today/File photo)
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The Civil Defense rescued motorists trapped in flooded Beirut suburbs as heavy rain inundated roads across the country. The Road Traffic Department urged motorists to take care on the road and “drive slowly.” The harsh weather disrupted traffic on several main roads in Beirut and surrounding areas. The first heavy rainfall of the season caused major flooding on Sunday evening on Jourieh roads, where the drainage system was blocked by garbage. Intense rains coupled with sewage and draining systems blockages cause flooding every year.
Caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi tasked municipalities with semimonthly reports on their efforts to stop alleged violations by Syrian refugees, claiming that the displaced population perpetrates 30 percent of crime in Lebanon. Human Rights Watch researcher Ramzi Kaiss expressed skepticism regarding the statistic, referencing “myriad” crimes whose perpetrators evade justice. Mawlawi called for a time-bound repatriation plan. On the same day, the Ministry of Industry threatened repercussions against factory owners who employ undocumented Syrian nationals. In May, amid increasingly aggressive policing of Syrian refugee communities in Lebanon, Mawlawi called on local officials to register displaced Syrians in their areas and rendered proof of registration a prerequisite for renting property or acquiring official paperwork. Meanwhile, the Internal Security Forces (ISF) warned Syrian nationals in Lebanon about kidnapping attempts disguised as arrangements for migration to Europe.
Amnesty International called for “an urgent investigation into the attack” against a “freedoms march” that was ambushed on Saturday. Amnesty’s statement deemed security forces’ response to the attack “inadequate.” At least two protesters were hospitalized for face and eye injuries sustained during the assault, Amnesty said. A lawyer representing victims told the human rights watchdog they were “rightfully afraid” to file complaints. The freedoms march organized by more than 24 civil society organizations aimed “to protest the recent crackdown on personal and political freedoms in Lebanon.” A day after the attack, armed individuals ambushed an event at a Sour bar reportedly over doctored images showing the event overlaid with a rainbow flag.
Relatives of the Aug. 4, 2020 Beirut port blast victims held their monthly vigil mourning the tragedy that killed at least 230 people and injured more than 6,500 others. The relatives’ statement called for an expedited ruling in top prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat’s case against blast probe lead investigator Judge Tarek Bitar, which accuses him of overstepping his authority by attempting to relaunch the probe in January. They demanded legal prosecution of the previously detained suspects, arrested in the blast’s immediate aftermath, who were released by Oueidat in January. Judicial vacancies have prevented adjudication on the dismissal requests that suspended probe lead investigator Judge Tarek Bitar since December 2021. In August, activist William Noun, whose brother Joe was a firefighter killed while responding to the blast, told L'Orient Today that around 70 MPs signed a petition“specifically meant for presentation to the UN” calling for an international fact-finding mission into the blast.
“Lebanon urgently requires comprehensive child protection systems,” United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Representative in Lebanon Edouard Beigbeder said, referring to recent “harrowing revelations” of severe child abuse. Beigbeder’s statement emphasized the need for timely action to avoid the issues becoming “entrenched,” noting an “exponential surge” in “violent discipline against children, but also gender-based violence (GBV) and child abandonment.” The UN official called for legally enshrined child protection, improved “reporting and referral mechanisms” in ministries and cultural and social shifts against “child labor, child marriage and corporal punishment.” He called for the implementation of UNICEF’s Qudwa (“role model”) social and behavioral change and communication program. Over the past months, several children were found abandoned and child abuse indictments shuttered a nursery, while the public prosecution mounts the case against a six-year-old girl’s relatives for their alleged involvement in her death and repeated sexual abuse.
In case you missed it, here’s our must-read story from yesterday: “Amin Maalouf: A short history of the famed Lebanese writer”
Compiled by Abbas Mahfouz
