The head of the Lebanese Forces, Samir Geagea. (Archive photo: NNA)
BEIRUT — In a statement published Thursday, the Lebanese Forces (LF) reiterated their support for an "amnesty law enjoying consensus among the majority of Sunni MPs," less than a week after the MPs from their parliamentary bloc, Strong Republic, walked out of Parliament during discussions on the bill, forcing the speaker of the chamber to end the session due to a lack of quorum.
The Christian party also criticized those who "have made a habit of distorting facts, falsifying reality, and taking statements out of context in order to carry out campaigns that have nothing to do with the truth, for well-known political objectives," in response to criticism that followed an interview with its leader, Samir Geagea, on Radio Free Lebanon, during which he discussed the topic.
"The majority of Sunni MPs boycotted the session pending a response from Speaker Nabih Berri [regarding the amendments to the general amnesty law]. In fact, they have boycotted most sessions, refusing to participate in debates on an amnesty law they consider inappropriate. If the Strong Republic bloc did withdraw from the session, it was to prevent the adoption of an amnesty law that does not meet the required criteria," Geagea said.
At the time of the debate, the Sunni community, which supports amnesty, was deeply divided over which legislation to adopt, a situation that has not changed since. Some Sunni MPs, who largely boycotted the parliamentary session, advocate for the release of as many detainees as possible, including Salafist Ahmad al-Assir, imprisoned since 2015 for participating in the fighting against the army in Abra in 2013.
On the other side, some Sunni MPs are pushing for the swift adoption of the amnesty law and have strongly criticized the LF's withdrawal. These include Nabil Badre (Beirut), Walid Baarini (Akkar), and Bilal Hosheimi (Zahle), who were present in the chamber.
During the session, Hezbollah appeared willing to overlook certain reservations to avoid blocking passage of the bill.
In their statement, the LF asserted that "the real goal of some MPs was to pass a partial version of the amnesty law, which did not have the support of all Sunni MPs and was limited to excluding a specific category of detainees, serving the interests of Hezbollah... These same parties are now trying to reverse the facts and mislead public opinion in order to mask this reality."
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