Law on the liberalization of commercial rents: A committee in the North threatens escalation

The committee for defending the rights of former tenants in the North denounced the forthcoming law on the liberalization of commercial rents, expected in the Official Journal, as "unjust" and threatens to resort to escalation, reported L'Orient Today's correspondent in North Lebanon.

The committee urged the competent authorities and concerned MPs to file an appeal against this law after its publication in the Official Journal to prevent its application. Participants also called on Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and President Joseph Aoun, urging them to intervene immediately to suspend its application, deeming it "a threat to the stability of thousands of tenants, their employees, and their families."

In its statement issued at the end of the meeting, the committee announced that it would intensify its mobilization, notably mentioning "a series of protest measures, including dismissing employees, closing businesses, and returning the premises keys to the Prime Minister as a sign of rejection of the policies deemed unfair." It also warned that other actions would be announced in the coming days if the authorities did not respond to its demands.

For several days, committees defending tenants' rights have been expressing their rejection of the law expected to be published on Thursday in the Official Journal.

In 2014, Parliament adopted a law initiating a gradual liberalization process of former residential rents and extended the old regime for commercial leases until Dec. 31, 2018. The situation had not evolved since.